Remember the Tides
by Regiss
Summary: The Replica Project was a complete success. Xion has absorbed Roxas's power, but with it gained something more. Fleeing Organization XIII, Xion finds herself on a familiar island. AU splitting off from the end of 358/2 Days.
1. Destiny Left to Chance

_So this is actually something of an experiment of mine. I love writing, do it a lot, but I usually write comics and not stories, so describing actions isn't a strength of mine since, of course, comics are a visual medium. I'll try to do my best with it._

_This first chapter jumps around, and I do apologize for that. It was mostly to establish everything; later chapters will focus much more on single plotlines or locations._

_As for why I chose this story, I love Xion; she's easily my favorite character in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also a fan of stories that follow "what if" scenarios, and decided it's time to actually put one of my many fantasies down on (digital) paper. I hope you enjoy it._

_Also, the title is a play on words with Xion's name. "Shio" is Japanese for tide, or so I'm told anyway._

_Standard disclaimer goes here. The image was made by Shiroi Kamaitachi, give them a round of applause for an awesome design._

* * *

**KINGDOM HEARTS**

**REMEMBER THE TIDES**

"Is that all you've got?!"

The blonde haired youth jumped back as two massive swords swung at him. As he came down, his feet hit air… _solid_ air. A climactic battle was occurring in the sky above Twilight Town, and no one in the world was aware.

The boy, Roxas, wore a ruined leather coat; black clothing could be seen beneath all the tears caused from this fight. Before him was a massive armored figure, hovering before the clock tower and wielding twin blades twice his own height.

_Xion,_ Roxas mentally cried out to his best friend. _I don't understand!_

"Stop holding back!" She cried.

Roxas and Xion - and their third friend, Axel – had been friends for nearly a year now, but within the last few months, things had gotten out of hand. If someone had told Roxas just six months ago that he would cut off all ties with Axel and Organization XIII, or that Xion would try to kill him, he would have thought they were crazy.

But here they were.

One of Xion's blades slammed into Roxas's side, and he crashed into the barrier keeping him in the air, a pattern of connected hexagons briefly appearing to mark the barrier's location. Roxas returned to his feet, panting heavily as he held up his Keyblade, and looked at Xion's mutated form with a pained expression of sorrow and confusion. _I can't keep this up much longer, but… I don't think she can either_. He prepared to charge one last time, but felt himself being pulled back. Sparing a glance over his shoulder, Roxas saw a swirling pool of light.

"Get ready, Roxas!" Xion crossed her swords, and without warning all Roxas saw was light. Powerful, overwhelming, the makeshift arena was surrounded in bright golden walls and Roxas was tossed this way and that, screaming in pain. When it was all over, his back slammed onto the invisible barrier for a moment, the hexagons appearing on impact… and then, the sound of shattering glass echoed across all of Twilight Town as the barrier broke apart and Roxas fell to the ground…

**x-x-x**

_Within a seemingly endless grey room, thirteen thrones of varying heights stood in a circle. About half of the thrones were empty. Roxas looked up at the man on the highest throne, directly across from him. On it sat Organization XIII's leader, Xemnas._

_Xemnas's eyes scanned the room. "Xion has vanished again." He stated in the monotone voice he was known for. While most members of the Organization pretended to have emotions from their old lives, Xemnas made no such attempt._

_Xaldin, a broad-shouldered man with dreadlocks, spoke up. "Do we know where she is?"_

_Xemnas spared a glance at Xaldin, then shook his head slowly. "'It,' not 'she," he said. "Xion is just a Replica...a puppet."_

_A blond man with a goatee – Luxord – frowned. "Puppet? Someone made her?"_

_Sighing, Saïx brushed a lock of blue hair out of his eyes. "Puppets generally don't make themselves." His tone was condescending and matter-of-fact, typical Saïx._

_Xigbar, sitting at Xemnas's right hand, laughed as he leaned back in his seat. "The Replica Program was one of our little pet projects."_

_The dirty blond, Demyx, looked up at Xigbar in typical confusion and gave an exaggerated shrug. "Replica whatza?"_

_Xaldin huffed and looked back up at Xemnas. "Perhaps you'd care to enlighten us about this 'pet project.'"_

"_The goal was to duplicate the Keyblade wielder's memories, and through them, his powers-thus making them our own. Vexen oversaw the project at Castle Oblivion." Xemnas glanced briefly at Axel, __who was averting his gaze,_ after naming the Organization's deceased scientist. "However, our efforts were severely derailed by his unexpected demise. And this particular Replica - the one we called Xion - _came to form an identity of her own."_

**x-x-x **

Darkness. A sharp pain in his back.

"…as…Ro…"

_Who...? _Was someone calling him?

"Roxas!" The blond boy opened his eyes to see Xion's familiar blue eyes filled with fear and worry. Tears were streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, this wasn't what I intended…" Xion shut her eyes and hugged herself as she began to cry again. "Why didn't you fight back?!"

"Fight back? How… could I fight against you, Xion?" Roxas could barely focus, but out of the corner of his eye he saw wisps of black smoke streaming into the sky. Were they coming from _him?_

"You were supposed to stop me! I was supposed to join with you… this wasn't what I…" Xion stopped as Roxas placed a hand to her cheek. His glove was burned off from that final attack, and Xion stopped as she felt his skin make contact.

"You are my best friend, Xion… I could never… kill you…" Roxas's hand fell, and Xion caught it. "I don't care… what they all say. You're more than just a puppet… to me…" He sighed as his vision dimmed, and the smoke rose from him more quickly. _So this is what it's like to fade into darkness? _Xion caught his falling hand and held it tightly, crying too much to speak. How had her plan gone so wrong? Roxas should have absorbed her, and now he was fading; now without him Sora wouldn't wake up, now…

Xion's eyes widened. Would that work?

"Goodbye, Xion… I'm glad I got to meet you." Roxas smiled softly as darkness surrounded him – except for the hand Xion held, which began to glow with a soft light. "You're my best friend. Never forget… that's the truth…" With that familiar grin of his, Roxas faded into the shadows, but the glow didn't fade with him.

Xion sat there silently for a long time, no longer crying but simply coming to terms with what happened. She stared at her hands which had held Roxas's, then glanced up at the clock tower. There was a new but familiar warmth in her chest, and Xion knew what she had to do.

**x-x-x **

The Organization's meeting chamber was empty save for Xemnas, who sat a unmoving as always on the tallest throne. Swirls of darkness appeared on another throne and Saïx materialized, legs crossed. He looked up to Xemnas. "Roxas is no more."

Xemnas's eyes widened. If he had the capability, he'd have felt surprise then. "…Is that so? This is fascinating…" He placed a hand to his chin and gave the lightest of frowns, a habit left over from his life as a human. A long time stretched on without either saying anything, Xemnas lost in thought and Saïx patiently awaiting his orders.

"It would seem, then, that the Replica Program was a complete success." Xemnas returned to his usual position, hands firmly placed on the armrest. "Bring me my Keyblade wielder. Fetch me Xion."

Saïx nodded even as a dark corridor opened beneath him. "I will put Axel on it right away."

**x-x-x**

Rain. Why was it always raining in this place?

Black heeled boots splashed through a puddle as Xion walked through The World That Never Was. Behind her, inky black shadows with golden eyes rose up. The Heartless had found a Keybearer.

Xion entered the plaza at the base of Memory's Skyscraper. Without a doubt, the Organization knew she was there. They'd send someone – Axel, probably – after her. She'd have to make this quick.

Breaking out of her thoughts, Xion noticed the Neoshadows encircling her. She stepped back, feeling a twinge of fear. _I'm… afraid?_ Xion placed a hand to her chest. _That can't be right… _Her face hardened as the Heartless approached, and Xion pulled out her Keyblade… and then another one soon after. In a flash of light, the two Kingdom Keys changed: one a bright white and one a deep black. Oathkeeper. Oblivion. Xion actually held back a surprised gasp, this was certainly not expected.

Ignoring the sudden existence of two Keyblades for now, Xion struck out at the Neoshadows; they fell incredibly easily, but they just kept coming. Sheer numbers would eventually overwhelm her. Xion jumped back, towards the skyscraper, as the claws of one of the Heartless got dangerously close to her chest. Now with distance between her and the swarm, Xion tossed Oblivion forward and it whirled through the crowd. She spun on her heel, hitting three more Neoshadows behind her with Oathkeeper before catching the returning Oblivion.

With a crack of lightning, Xion looked up and saw a familiar silver haired figure atop the skyscraper. "Aerora!" With powerful wind magic, she pushed the Heartless back, giving her some breathing room. Xion took in a deep breath and ran up the walls of the building as the man on the top leaped down. She threw Oathkeeper at him; the man caught it just as she planned. When the passed each other over the large screen, Xion glanced at him with worry, but the man's blindfolded gaze was locked on the Heartless down below.

Xion reached the roof and looked down. From this height all she could see was a spot of silver among a sea of black, but it looked like the Heartless were losing. _Two's better than one,_ Xion decided as she dived down the building, slamming the flat of Oblivion's blade into the head of one of the Heartless. Standing back to back with the man the two of them spun their Keyblades one final time, destroying the last of the Heartless. Looking at her over his shoulder, the man jumped away to one end of the plaza, prompting Xion to do the same. Upon reaching her side, Xion removed her hood and the man's eyes widened beneath his blindfold.

"Xion?!" She gave a sad smile and dismissed Oblivion. The man didn't dismiss Oathkeeper, but shifted to a more relaxed stance, no longer looking ready for a fight. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry, Riku. I tried to return to Roxas and, through him, to Sora." Xion shook her head. "It didn't quite work out the way I had planned. Roxas is inside me now, I think." She clutched at her chest, feeling that warmth again. If she didn't know better, she'd almost swear she had a heart now.

Riku frowned looked at Oathkeeper. There was probably something symbolic in the way she had given him that Keyblade rather than Oblivion. "So what are you going to do now, Xion?" He asked without looking up from the blade.

"I don't know. I'm not actually Sora's Nobody, so I don't know if I can properly merge with him."

Riku held out his hand at Oathkeeper vanished in a flash of light. "The worlds need Sora. I think we need to give it a try, don't you?"

Hugging herself lightly, Xion gave a slow nod. "I do. I'm just… scared. Genuinely scared." She looked up to see Riku walking toward her. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but his face wasn't comforting to match.

"Xion," Riku sighed. "Those feelings aren't yours. You and Roxas held part of him inside you. You know as well as I do that he needs that power and those memories back." As he spoke, a corridor of darkness opened up beneath them.

"I know, Riku. But… how can I?" She shivered as the darkness wrapped around the two of them, preparing to pull them to a different world. "Just yesterday I would have willingly gone along with this, as a puppet that belongs with Sora. But now… there's a worry inside me. I can't just give myself up."

"…I'm sorry, Xion. You have to."

**x-x-x**

Not far away, in Organization XIII's castle, Axel leaned on a railing and stared off into the dark city down below. This area was technically named "Naught's Skyway," but he always just called it "that place with the ramps." A dark corridor opened behind him and Saïx stepped out, but Axel didn't respond.

After a few minutes of waiting, Saïx narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Axel."

Axel glanced over his shoulder and feigned surprise. "Sorry, I was admiring the view." Scratching the back of his neck, Axel turned around. "What's up?"

With a _hmph_, Saïx looked down at the city. He knew full well Axel knew he was there and purposefully ignored him. "I have a mission for you, direct orders from Xemnas. Xion has run off once again-"

"_Again?!_" That got the redhead's attention. Axel suddenly stood straight. "I guess I'd better head off, then."

Saïx held out his hand and stopped the dark corridor that Axel had begun to open. "If you would let me finish. Axel, Xion has destroyed Roxas and taken his power for its own." Axel started and glared at Saïx with rage barely seen. "In other words, the Replica Project was a complete success. I must admit, I'm surprised that puppet turned out as well as it did. Be wary, Axel; Xion's power has no doubt grown after absorbing Roxas, and it will be much harder for you to bring it back." With that, and without another word, Saïx vanished, leaving Axel alone in his thoughts.

Roxas was _gone?_

**x-x-x**

The circular room's light blue walls were perfectly round and gave the impression that this place went on forever. In the center, standing among circular green patterns, was a white pod resembling a flower bud. A blond girl in a white dress and a tan man dressed in red stood facing the pod. The telltale sound of a dark corridor came from behind Naminé, and two figures in black coats appeared. Naminé smiled. "Riku! Xion! Welcome back!" Next to her, DiZ stood silent but locked eyes with Riku.

Riku, still with his hand on Xion's shoulder, nudged the girl forward and turned from DiZ to Naminé. "We had an unexpected problem, and it turns out Xion absorbed Roxas's power instead of the other way around."

"That will not do!" DiZ growled. "We required Sora's Nobody to make him whole, a Replica cannot merge with him if she was not a part of him in the first place!"

Xion looked up at DiZ, the man towering over everyone else in the room, and shook her head. "I can help to at least restore some of Sora's memories." She turned to Naminé, who gave a smile. "I… I'm scared, I have to say-" she noticed DiZ's face darken at the thought of a Nobody having emotions "-but I will do what I can. I belong with Sora."

"Naminé," DiZ sighed, "what do you believe can be done now?"

Naminé shook her head and placed a hand on the pod's glass surface. "I don't know, DiZ. I really don't. But Sora can exist without Roxas; he was able to do just that after being restored at Hollow Bastion."

"Perhaps he can _exist_, but he will not be able to call on his full power. This sets us back far too much." DiZ was silent in thought, and then glared down at Xion. "You will give all of yourself to him. Sora will be missing the parts of Roxas you did not absorb, but we must hope it is enough." With that he turned and left, leaving Xion, Riku and Naminé alone in the room.

"Xion, if you can give me your hand, please?" Naminé held out her left arm, her right hand firmly placed on the surface of the pod. When Xion grabbed it, Naminé began to glow softly. "I will serve as the intermediary. Please, Xion, recall all of Sora's memories and bring them to the surface. We can wake him up." Naminé spared a glance at Riku, who was walking down the hall outside. Did he not want to be there when Sora awoke?

"I think I'm ready, Naminé." She began glowing faintly, and memories boiled to the surface before vanishing; before leaving her. With her free hand, Xion clutched her chest once again. "I feel like I'm going to explode. This is _real_ fear, isn't it?"

Naminé's eyes widened. Fear? Naminé had suspected, dealing with the deep memories within Sora's subconscious, that Roxas had gained the shattered heart Sora accepted into himself years ago. And now Xion held it? "Hold on, Xion, it's almost over…"

Xion let out a terrified scream, and began fighting against the pull of memories. _She's resisting,_ Naminé realized, when before taking in Roxas's heart she was perfectly willing to do so. _With a heart comes emotions; a fear of death, a sense of self-preservation. She doesn't want to go…_

Xion broke contact with Naminé, and a burst of light exploded between the two of them. "Xion, wait!" Naminé was flung against the far wall, and when she opened her eyes after the light faded… the other girl was gone.

**x-x-x**

"_I've got it!" Axel exclaimed, surprising Roxas and Xion next to him. The two younger members of the Organization glanced at each other for a moment, and then directed their shared gaze to Axel._

"_Huh? Got what?" Roxas asked._

_The redhead grinned and motioned to the ocean far off on the horizon, just barely visible from their spot on the clock tower. "Let's go to the beach next time we get a day off."_

_Xion tilted her head and looked out to the water herself. "The beach? Where did that come from?" Despite her confusion, the thought did excite her. Something about the ocean was familiar. It almost felt like "home."_

**x-x-x**

Seagulls cawed out as they soared over the waves and back to the thick jungle on this small island. The sun had set, and the last few animals were returning home. The waves pushed gently against the white sand, then back out; a constant pattern in their movement.

The girl groaned and opened her eyes. The feeling of sand beneath her was familiar, but she couldn't tell why. Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked out to the black ocean and an island not too far away. The lights in that island's town were almost all out, just how late at night _was_ it?

"Where am I?"

With a gasp, pain struck through her. She fell back onto the sand and placed hands to her head. Fragmented memories washed through her, remnants of what was left; the last thing she remembered was an explosion of light and someone calling a name: Xion. Her name?

Slowly, she stood up and looked once again to the dark water. Her black coat was flowing behind her in the sea breeze. Closing her eyes and listening to the mysteriously familiar sound of the tides, Xion's eyes widened in realization: except for those fragmented images, she couldn't remember anything.


	2. The First Day

_This chapter was actually kind of a pain to write. I've always said the hardest part of writing a story is the beginning, when you're still setting it up._

* * *

"Naminé, what happened?"

DiZ stood in the doorway of a room covered in drawings, with Naminé sitting at a long table in the center. Riku, his hood down, leaned against the wall while staring at a sketch of three friends eating ice cream on a clock tower.

"Xion returned almost the entirety Sora's memories, but was too scared to complete it. She couldn't give up her own memories; they're all she has, it'd cause her death." Naminé shook her head. "I don't know where she vanished to, but I know that her memories – what little she has left - will be shattered. Not gone entirely, but a tangled mess."

Xion was scared? Riku frowned; Nobodies weren't supposed to feel emotions, were they? And yet from what he saw, Xion _was_ truly scared. Maybe it was just her unique nature as a Replica of Sora?

He glanced over to DiZ, who he could tell was having similar thoughts. Soon enough he'd jump into another speech about how Nobodies couldn't feel anything. The guy was like a broken record, Riku and Naminé had heard it all before.

"This will not do..." The bandaged man said with a sigh. Riku's eyes did widen a little under his blindfold; maybe DiZ had caught on that the other two didn't particularly care for that speech after all. "Riku, I'm tasking you with hunting down Xion. No doubt the Organization has also sent someone after her, so be on your guard."

"I'm on it."

"Meanwhile, Naminé," She flinched under his gaze. "Let's prepare for Sora. We cannot afford to postpone his awakening any longer; we'll simply have Xion finish restoring what she can later. He can do without a memory or two until then."

**Chapter 2: The First Day**

Xion sat against a rock wall near a waterfall, hugging her knees to her chest. She had taken off that thick leather coat – despite being the dead of night, it was still a tropical island after all – and was now just wearing the simple black clothing beneath it. It helped a little bit, but not much; wherever she was from, Xion clearly wasn't used to humidity.

Xion had calmed down enough to think things through. While her memories weren't entirely gone, what she _did_ have was fragmented, blurry. _Is there even such a thing as "partial amnesia"?_ Xion thought with a sad smile. What she did know was that this island was familiar, but at the same time she identified a dark city and featureless white rooms as home. _I can't have _two _homes, can I?_

She glanced out to the other, larger island across the water. The town was pitch black; not a single house had lights on, and they would have blended in perfectly with the dark jungle if the stars weren't shining so brightly tonight. Clearly sitting alone on this beach wasn't going to be of any help, so Xion resolved to find a way across the water.

This island wasn't uninhabited. The old shack and bridge to her left, and the dock ahead of her, were clear signs that the people from the town came here. It was just a simple act of finding a boat or raft on the beach. Something to get her across.

"Raft…"

Something about that word jogged Xion's memory. Brief flashes of a group of friends - two boys, one with brown spiky hair and one with long silver hair, and a redheaded girl - building a raft together. Building it on the other side of the island?

Leaving the black coat behind, Xion stepped down onto the sand and made her away around the shack, under the bridge. Sure enough, she found herself facing a large wooden wall with a door leading through it, no doubt to the other side of the island. But when Xion tried turning the old doorknob, it didn't budge.

"Locked. Of course."_ Now_ what? Xion slid her back down the wall with a sigh, sitting on the ground. She didn't have an axe or anything to chop down trees and make her own raft with. Maybe the other island was close enough to swim to. Or maybe she could wait until the next day and hope someone came over.

Without warning, the wind suddenly picked up. Xion glanced up to the beach to see… she wasn't sure _what_ she saw. An undulating blob of black and purple rose from the sand, and out from it came a pair of white creatures that twisted and moved their bodies impossibly. They slowly swam their way through the air right toward her. Standing up, Xion backed herself against the wood wall. One of the things pushed it's "face" right up to hers and opened its mouth – its mouth was a _zipper!_ – with a terrifying smile.

**We have come for you, my lady.**

It spoke. It spoke _inside her head!_ Clearly, Xion was going insane. She made a break for it, and the two white creatures jumped to the side as if in surprise. Of course, running on sand isn't exactly easy, and soon enough Xion tripped. She heard the sound of those things flowing through the air towards her and braced herself.

A flash of light knocked the white creatures back, and Xion squinted her eyes open. "What is..?" In her hands was a sword vaguely shaped like a key; a checker patterned hilt was circled by a black handguard, from which a chain ending in a silver cross fell. The blade was white, and the "teeth" of the key were triangles of altering black and white.

_Whoa! _A voice from Xion's memories suddenly bubbled to the surface. A blonde boy was standing in front of a train station, looking at her in surprise as a giant black monster vanished into darkness behind her. _Xion,_ _I didn't know you could use the Keyblade._

"Yeah… neither did I." Xion whispered to herself, and then looked over her shoulder in surprise as the strange white creatures moved back toward her. Only half aware of her body's movements, Xion jumped up and struck one of the white creatures dead on. Spinning on her heel, she hit it in the back, digging the Keyblade's teeth into it. The first creature vanished into the darkness, and the other one hesitated before it, too, charged at her.

Xion made a quick movement, circling around the thing and causing it to turn its head left and right looking for her. These things may be capable of speech, but they clearly weren't very intelligent. She brought it down on the creature's head, slamming it into the sand, and then slashed across its torso. It too vanished.

When all was said and done, Xion stood panting on the beach. She looked at the sword – the Keyblade – in her hand. "Where did I learn to do all that?" It had all come so naturally, like fighting was something she did every day. That wasn't a very pleasant thought.

As Xion walked back toward the door, more images appeared in her mind; of holding a sword (one which resembled a key much more than hers) out and a beam of light shooting forth to unlock a gate. Well… it was worth a shot, right? Xion pointed the sword at the wall and sure enough a ball of light formed at the tip. It shot forward, the door glowed briefly, and there was a noticeable _click_. When Xion tried turning the doorknob this time, the door swung open without so much as a creak. The Keyblade vanished as she walked through.

On the other side was a tranquil cove, and the sea breeze actually made Xion shiver. Maybe she shouldn't have left that coat behind after all. She walked down the wooden bridge, but part of the way across there was a large hole hastily covered by a handful of planks of wood, with large gaps in between each one. She stepped carefully around that.

Down on the beach, just as Xion had expected, was an old raft. It didn't look like it had been touched in months, but still seemed usable; not that she was especially knowledgeable in such things. With the wind blowing against her it'd take a while to get around to the other side of the island, but once she was between the two islands it should go by quickly.

The sun was just barely peaking over the horizon, and morning was coming.

**x-x-x**

The sunrise peaked over the jungle-covered mountains, turning everything in a shade of orange and making the surrounding ocean sparkle. Destiny Islands always looked beautiful first thing in the morning, especially at the tale end of summer like this.

On a hill overlooking the town sat the mayor's residence. At three stories it was one of the larger houses on the island, not that much of it really served as a home; all but the private top floor was actually city hall. On a window of the top floor, pink curtains were pushed aside as a girl with shoulder-length red hair stepped out onto the balcony. Sure, she was up especially early this morning, but school started tomorrow and she wanted to make the most of this last day.

Kairi got dressed quickly, wearing a pink dress covered in zippers, and hurried down the hall toward the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye Kairi saw her adopted father, the mayor of Destiny Islands, heading downstairs to the city hall section of the building. No doubt he was planning for the upcoming annual festival.

The kitchen's television was turned to the news, though Kairi wasn't really paying attention. The reporter was going on about a mystery break-in at the mall, but he didn't seem sure if "break-in" was really the right term to use. All the locks in the stores that were stolen from (clothing stores mostly) were simply undone, it's not like the windows were broken or anything. Mysterious to be sure, but news worthy?

"Slow news day, I guess." Kairi shrugged. She wasn't going to let it bother her on her last day of summer. But, speaking of which… what _was_ she going to do? As she left home and walked down the road to the center of town, Kairi looked out toward the island. She _could_ spend a day there, but she promised herself she wouldn't until she remembered the boy. The memories were clearer, but there still wasn't a name to go with the face.

Maybe she could go watch Tidus and Wakka's blitzball game. "No, Selphie probably wouldn't be interested in that…" Kairi sighed, and then something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Down on the beach, was that a raft? It looked old, but it certainly wasn't there yesterday. She climbed down through some bushes to the shore, and let out a gasp at a carving of a familiar crown on the mast. "This is _our_ raft!" The old one she, Riku, and the other boy had made nearly a year ago. What was it doing here? It hadn't just drifted, it was deliberately dragged ashore. Whoever used it should have left footprints, but they had evidently been washed away by the tide.

"Hey, Kairi! What are you doing down there?" Kairi looker over her shoulder to see a girl in a yellow dress calling her from the road.

"Oh, hey Selphie!" She waved and made her way back up the hill. "Nothing, it's not important." Selphie gave her a weird look and then turned her gaze to the raft.

"Isn't that the raft you and Riku built?"

"Yeah, it is. I guess it must have drifted in from the small island. Don't worry about it." Kairi started walking down the road and smiled at Selphie. "So! What's our plan for the last day before school?"

They were at the edge of the residential district now, emerging into the town proper. "I'm actually not sure. I had planned on going to the mall, but…" Selphie sounded uneasy.

"What, did they close it down after the break-in last night?"

"No, they didn't. But a friend of mine – Irvine, you've met him before – was out late last night and said he saw some weird white monsters near the mall."

_Monsters?_ A lump formed in Kairi's throat. _Heartless? No, Heartless aren't white…_ She laughed, and hoped Selphie didn't catch her nervousness. "And you believed him?"

"Well, he wasn't drunk last night if that's what you mean. …I think." The two girls laughed, but Kairi still felt uneasy. Monsters showing up as her memories of that boy grew clearer? That couldn't be a coincidence. "Kairi?" She snapped to attention as Selphie was waving a hand in front of her face. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry about me, it's still early and I'm just tired." Kairi smiled to reassure her friend, but then she saw something behind Selphie… or rather, some_one_. An unfamiliar girl turned down an alley. Kairi didn't catch a lot of her appearance, but she did see black hair and a white sleeveless jacket. Definitely not somebody she knew.

"Kairi, where are you going? Hey!" Selphie called out as Kairi followed the mystery girl.

Destiny Islands was not a large town, though it wasn't exceptionally small either. It was the kind of place where everywhere you went you would run into at least one person you knew. And even if you didn't know someone, nearly everybody was a familiar face at least.

So who was that?

* * *

_Xion's Keyblade is Two Become One, from KH2FM and Days. Dual wielding Oathkeeper and Oblivion won't be something she does often, like how Roxas normally used the Kingdom Key._


	3. Familiar Strangers

_Guest, your review for last chapter made me think of something._

_When writing this, I worry about demonizing DiZ too much. I do like the guy, but since this is largely a Xion centered fic and DiZ is pretty heavily anti-Nobody at this point in time, he isn't seen in the best light._

_There's a fine line between making a character a jerk and making them unlikable, and I hope I don't cross it._

* * *

**Chapter 3: Familiar Strangers**

Xion didn't feel good about stealing clothes from those shops, but she was able to convince herself to for two reasons: one, if there were more of those white creatures, maybe they wouldn't recognize her with something else on; and two: after falling into the ocean more than once on that raft trip, her clothes were soaking wet. _Note to self, learn how to sail properly._

After making it to the large island, Xion had dragged the raft ashore and gone searching for replacement clothes immediately. Luckily not too many people were up this early in the morning, though she had to navigate around some drunken guy in a cowboy hat. The Keyblade got her access to the shopping mall, and Xion went around grabbing what she could (for some reason, almost everything she came across had zippers).

A white skirt and matching tank top, separated by a red belt. A jacket, also white and without sleeves, but with a black hood and trim. A pink design was on the front, cut in half by the zipper which she left unzipped. Black leggings under the skirt and white boots with yellow trim. Xion admitted to herself with a sigh that she went a bit overboard with the accessories: two rings (one black, one white) on one hand, a chain bracelet on the other, a silver clip in her hair, a red key necklace, and a black bag at her hip with a strap across her chest.

Oh, she took a couple pastries from a bakery, too. Cherry filled.

Though not willing to just go and buy things without knowing where she was, Xion did feel remorse at stealing and left a bit of munny at each shop; not that she had a lot in the first place, just what was in the wallet she had found in that coat she woke up in. Anonymous, but Xion figured it probably wasn't a good idea to expose herself until she had a better idea of what was going on.

So now here she was, walking around the sleepy town with her hood up and trying to blend in as best she could. The crowds were building up as Xion walked out of the commercial district toward what she guessed was where everyone lived, when a familiar _whoosh_ sound came from behind her. Xion whirled around to see another one of those undulating dark corridors in the middle of the street. "Oh no…"

She made a break for it, running through the crowd to cries of "Watch it!" and "What's the hurry?", only for the voices to be drowned out in shouts of surprise as those white creatures streaked through the sky and scattered across the island. Good, that meant they hadn't seen her, at least.

But if she stopped for too long they'd find her. Xion continued to run down the streets of the town, which had grown in confusion as she heard everyone in the crowd around her go on about the things. Some thought it was an event for an upcoming festival; others were talking about something that happened one night a year ago. Eventually she reached a quieter part of town, where evidently the fewer people here hadn't seen any of the white creatures yet.

Xion turned down an alleyway and leaned against a wall to catch her breath. _Just a few minutes of rest… I'll be fine for just a few minutes. _Xion let out a sigh. "I really need to find out what's going on. What _are_ those things?"

"Who are you?" Xion jumped at the voice. It was familiar; sounded a little bit like hers, in fact. "Sorry, that was rude of me. It's just, I haven't seen you around here before, and in a small town like this…" Xion turned around, and immediately gasped. The other girl did the same.

_It's like looking in a mirror! _Sure, the other girl's hair was red and longer, but their faces were perfectly identical. Not just that, but there was something familiar about her; like Xion had seen her before.

_Riku, please… Tell me more—about Sora and that girl he's always with._

_You mean Kairi._

_Kairi… That's right. She's the one who looks so much like me._

Xion clutched her head as those memories appeared, then faded again just as quickly. All but the name, that is. "You're… Kairi, right?"

"…Yes, that's right." The other girl seemed just as confused as Xion, despite her confirmation. "Sorry, have we met? What's your name?"

Xion sighed; it looked like she wasn't getting a lead on her missing memory any time soon. "I'm Xion. And no, I'm not sure if we-" Xion stopped and stared over at the far end of the alley, where one of those white creatures had appeared. She grabbed Kairi by the wrist and took off at full speed before the thing could spot her.

"Hey, what are you-"

The telltale noise of the white creature squirming through the air was catching up to them. "Not now! Run!" Xion made a sharp turn, running past another girl who called Kairi's name and into the jungle on the side of the road. She didn't stop, continuing down a dirt path until they reached a clearing with an old wooden shack.

Kairi leaned over with her hands on her knees, panting. "What was that all about? We could have at least slowed down for Selphie!"

But Xion wasn't listening, her attention kept on the trees. Sure enough, the white creature soon arrived – and it brought friends. A total of four of the things twisted and squirmed around the trees, arriving in the clearing and stopping only about three yards before the two of them.

Kairi stepped back. "What are those? They don't look like Heartless."

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. They've been chasing me since last night." Xion shook her head. "I'd rather not have to fight them, but backed into a corner like this…" She held out her hand and the Keyblade appeared in a flash of light.

Kairi gasped. "That's a-"

"They're coming!"

Two of the creatures struck out at Xion, and she responded in kind. They shifted their bodies around her horizontal strike, and then spun around and hit her in the back. A third one popped into her vision from above and kicked Xion in the gut. She staggered back as the third creature dropped to the ground. It shivered for a moment, and charged straight at Xion.

Thinking fast, Xion held up her Keyblade in a defensive position and the thing rebounded off of it. Taking advantage of the brief opening Xion circled around it quickly, as she had with the one on the smaller island, and just like before the thing turned its head this way and that looking for her. With an upwards slash, across its back, Xion destroyed the first one.

The pair from earlier attacked from opposite directions, striking Xion across her left and right sides simultaneously. As they turned around to try again, Xion somersaulted out of the way. The two stopped on a dime and took a moment before they found her again. Man, these things were _dumb. _Xion tossed her Keyblade like a boomerang, hitting one right in its zipper-mouth. It vanished as the Keyblade returned her.

Its partner flew at her, and Xion again tried to guard. At the last moment it slid down and between her legs, rising up behind her and hitting her in the back. Xion stumbled, and then spun to hit the creature – but it moved too, staying behind her at all times. _Fine, if that's how you want to play. _The Keyblade vanished in a flash of light, but reappeared a split second later in a reverse grip. Xion struck the creature behind her, returned to holding the Keyblade normally, then spun around and slashed diagonally. The creature was flung into the air, and Xion tossed her Keyblade one last time, destroying it as it fell to earth.

Three down. There was one missing, but where…?

…Oh, Xion wasn't alone in this clearing.

_I'm so stupid! _ "Kairi, watch out-!" Xion called out to warn her, but the other girl held a hand and the thing stopped dead in its tracks. …No, wait, it didn't just stop - it slammed into something! A wall of hexagons flashed before Kairi as the creature backed up and shook its head in a daze. What was _that?_ Oh well. While it was still dazed, Xion pierced its gut and the creature vanished.

"Fast thinking, Kairi."

"Thanks, a friend named Aerith taught me that. And nice work yourself!" Kairi smiled, and brushed some hair out of her eyes. "But where did you get a Keyblade?"

Xion looked down at the blade with a light frown. "…I'm actually not sure. I don't even really know what it is. Do you?"

"Sure. My friend Sora- oh!" Kairi brought a hand to her lips, then closed her eyes and smiled. _I remembered his name! Sora… what happened to cause everyone to forget?_

"Sora?" Something about that name tugged on Xion's subconscious. "Hey, uh, Kairi? You okay?"

The redhead snapped back to reality. "Oh, I'm sorry! I was just thinking of a friend."

Xion held up the Keyblade, pointing it at Kairi. "You said you knew something about this?"

"Yeah," Kairi nodded. "Like I said, my friend has one. Keyblades come from peoples' hearts and are used to defend light. They- look out!"

Xion whirled around, just barely dodging a new monster that dived down to attack her. Less humanoid than the others, it was silver and purple and had a number of blades in place of arms. After its first attack missed, the creature _melded_ into the ground, its blade-arms waving around as it flowed effortlessly through solid earth. Xion held out her Keyblade with both hands, keeping Kairi behind her as both girls watched it carefully.

Without warning it burst out of the ground and flung itself at Xion once again. Not expecting that speed, Xion didn't have time to react and was knocked back, slamming into Kairi behind her. Kairi staggered back while Xion fell down to her knees. The creature flipped around through the air and then… simply vanished.

"Sorry about that, Xion." A man's voice echoed across the clearing, then another one of those dark portals opened up and he stepped out. The first thing Xion noticed was his clothing: a black coat with a hood, exactly like the one she had been wearing when she woke up on the smaller island. The man gave a toothy grin under the hood. "I tried to hold the Assassin back, but you know how those lesser Nobodies are. When the Dusks were taking too long it just couldn't wait any more."

Neither girl said anything. This man certainly spoke with a tone of familiarity, but if he commanded the things that attacked her, then what was his goal?

He scratched the back of his neck. "What's the matter, Xion? Cat got your tongue?" He held out a hand. "Look, I apologize for the rough behavior, but given the last few times you've run off, I knew it was going to take more than just 'please' to get you come along."

"…Who are you?" Kairi spoke up, and the man's hooded head turned to her in surprise. Evidently he hadn't even noticed her until now. "Do you really expect Xion to just go with you after you sent those things to attack her?"

"Well isn't this a surprise! Xion, what are you doing here of all places?" He laughed. "Sorry, Kairi, but I do. Remember what I said in Twilight Town, Xion? I'll always be there to bring you back."

Xion shook her head. "No."

"This isn't an option, Xion. I don't want to fight you again."

"No, that's not what I mean. I don't remember a place called Twilight Town, or any promises…" She couldn't see his face, but his body language showed surprise. "Who _are_ you?"

Moments passed by without him responding, the only sounds the chirps of jungle birds in the distance. "…Don't mess with me, Xion. It's_ me_. You know…" He pulled down his hood, revealing spiky red hair. "Axel."

Xion didn't reply, but evidently the confusion was clear on her face. Axel sighed and rub bed his neck again, the other hand on his hip, as he looked up at the sky. "…Great, just great. What is it with you two and amnesia?" But then his face hardened and he again looked at Xion and Kairi. Two spiked red disks appeared in his hands in a burst of flames, and Axel pointed one of them at Xion. "We don't have time for a Q and A. You're coming with me, conscious or not."

Xion hesitated. On the one hand, this Axel guy obviously knew who she was… but on the other hand, he said she had run away a number of times before. If she had run away, then obviously whatever he had planned wasn't in her best interest. And Kairi had a point: why trust someone who sent monsters to attack her?

She looked behind Axel, where the portal he had walked through was still open. If she went through, what'd happen to Kairi? Considering Axel hadn't even noticed her at first, she'd probably be fine. He only seemed to care about Xion specifically. She took in a deep breath, and then shot forward.

"Xion?!" Axel jumped back as she barreled past him and into the darkness. "Hey, Xion! Stop!" His voice was already fading as the shadows enveloped her. But off in the distance was a point of light, and Xion made that her goal. She kept on running.

**x-x-x**

Axel made a _tsk_ noise and tossed his chakrams to the ground. Amnesia, huh? There went his plans to ask about Roxas. And now she ran off through a corridor of darkness. "Just great…" The sound of shuffling feet came from behind him. "Oh. Right."

Kairi stood in a combat stance, but Axel didn't particularity care. He sighed and opened another dark corridor.

"Well, looks like this is going to be harder than I thought." Before being enveloped by the shadows, he looked back at the girl. "I'm not sure if we'll be seeing each other again, Kairi, so tell Sora I said 'hi' next time ya see him. Not that he'll remember me, I suppose,"

Kairi gasped. "You know Sora?!"

But he was already gone.

**x-x-x**

"Sora!"

"Sora, wake up!"

The familiar voices stirred the boy awake, and a white light shone down from above. Sora had to squint as his eyes adjusted to the bright room. He stumbled as he took a step forward; boy, he was dizzy. Felt like he had just woken up. For some reason or another, he was inside of a flower shaped pod, too.

After he had adjusted to the light, Sora's vision focused on the two figures in front of him: a familiar duck and dog were snickering to themselves about something. "Donald! Goofy!" He jumped down to hug them, and the three friends laughed.

A fourth voice yawned by Sora's ear. "That was some nap!"

Sora looked down at source of the voice: a cricket in a suit who was sitting on his shoulder. "You mean we were asleep, Jiminy?"

"I guess we musta been, or I don't think we'd be so drowsy…"

Goofy scratched his head. "When do ya think we went to asleep?"

It was a good question, Sora realized. He didn't remember this room at all. "Let's see… we defeated Ansem…" Sora crossed his arms and tried to recall year-old memories.

"Yep."

"…restored peace to the world… found Kairi… Oh yeah, and then we went to look for Riku. I think that's right so far."

"Then what?" Donald asked.

Goofy scratched his head again. "What does your journal say, Jiminy?"

The cricket was way ahead of him, pulling out the book with a smile. But that smile quickly turned to a frown, then the frown to a look of horror. "Why, it's empty! Every last page! How can this happen, I take such good care of my journals!"

"Hey, wait a sec." Sora took the tiny book from Jiminy's hands and turned to the last page, squinting to read the only two words in the entire book. "'Thank Naminé.'"

Donald crossed his arms. "Who's Naminé?"

Sora was about to say that he had no idea, but now a new voice spoke up. "That would be me." All four of them turned to the doorway of the room, spotting a blond girl in a white dress who looked to be about Sora's age.

Goofy spoke up first. "Gawrsh, uh, do we know you? What happened that we need to thank ya about?" He winced. "Sorry, that came out kinda mean…"

She smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about not knowing me; if you did remember then I didn't do my job right. Though I'd be happy to tell you, but first…" Her gaze fell on Sora. "Maybe we should get you into some bigger clothes."

Sora looked down and gave an embarrassed chuckle, while Donald and Goofy began to laugh.

* * *

_As I said back in chapter 1, Xion's outfit (and the artwork) was designed by someone named Shiroi Kamitachi, and not by me. 10/10 in my opinion._

_Like Kairi said, Aerith taught her a little bit of magic. I figured she must have interacted with the FF group at least somewhat during her stay in Traverse Town, right?_

_I always found it amusing how Dusks are just so confused when you use Reversal, and got it into my head that they weren't exactly bright. I kind of took the idea and ran with it._


	4. Information and Explanations

_**Art-Of-Breaking:**__ Kairi would have had the chance to interact with Aerith when she was in Traverse Town after the first visit to Hollow Bastion._

_**Keyblader Namine:**__ I don't believe so; since she successfully absorbed Roxas that should have made her job "finished." I'll probably go into it in more depth alter._

* * *

Dark clouds covered the sky, not allowing the sun to break through. Atop a mountain peak stood the remnants of a castle, and a raven fluttered through spaces between black thorny vines wrapping around the ruined walls. Green bricks that had once built up the castle now lay on the dusted floor. It was quite clear that the ruins were completely deserted, that no one had been there in years.

"Maleficent? Hello?"

Or perhaps it wasn't so deserted after all.

He was a large figure and wore a red and blue outfit of complicated straps and zippers. Every step he took kicked up layers of dust and dirt. He was not graceful, knocking bricks out of his way and slamming open old wooden doors. At last he came to a stop in a circular room where the ceiling had long since collapsed, with a throne sitting against the wall on an elevated section of the chamber.

"Where could she be? She told me to report on the Heartless at this time last year. Heeell-oooo? Maleeeficeeent?" The raven up above landed on one of the old crumbling walls and let out a caw. He flinched as the sound echoed across the ruins, looking this way and that to find its source.

"Ooh, I hope I don't need to stay around this spooky place for much longer…"

**Chapter 4: Information and Explanations**

Xion wasn't sure how long she had been running after that light in the distance, but it felt like hours. And in all that time, the light didn't seem to grow any closer. Then, without warning, it suddenly exploded before her. Xion covered her eyes from the blinding white, and then felt a _crunch_ beneath her feet.

Xion blinked as her eyes adjusted out of the darkness and looked down. She had stepped on some dried leaves apparently, and now stood on solid ground – grass, to be specific. Trees towered above and around her, and off in the distance she heard the sound of flowing water. "Where am I?" It was a forest, to be sure, but not a tropical one like on Destiny Islands.

Xion found herself wandering through the woods at a pleasant pace, watching all the brightly colored birds fly through the air, spinning around the branches. Squirrels and rabbits ran across the ground and up and down the tree trunks and not a single animal seemed scared that she was not ten feet away from them. Soon enough, Xion's walk brought her to the edge of a river, the path surrounded by small cliffs. "This place is so beautiful…" She was almost tempted to take a nap beneath one of the trees.

But then something echoed across the forest that tossed all the animals into a frenzied panic. An explosion came from somewhere not too far away, and through the trees Xion could see an orange glow. "Fire? Did that Axel guy find me?" Xion hesitated and was about to run off in the opposite direction when she heard voices shouts of surprise and fear coming from the direction of the light. Without a second thought, Xion broke into a run – _toward_ the fire.

Emerging into a glen, Xion skid to a stop and looked around in surprise. Axel or the white creatures (he called them "Nobodies", she reminded herself) were nowhere to be found; instead, a cottage partly built into a tree was on fire, and not far away three old women were facing a swarm of strange floating red creatures with yellow caps. The emblem on the front of the creatures vaguely resembled a black heart, outlined in red and with a matching "X" running across it.

One of the women, the one wearing pink, stood tall and waved a little stick around that sparkled with each movement. "Creatures borne from man's black heart, have your darkness fall apart!" Her rhyme seemed to have some power behind it, and with a flick of her wrist the creatures seemed to collapse in on themselves, vanishing into darkness.

All but one. The three women didn't notice another creature behind them, resembling the others but larger and with yellow flame-like patterns on its body. An orb of fire formed above its head, but before it could launch the attack Xion summoned her Keyblade and leaped forward. With a jump strike she took the thing out; however, unlike with the swarm the older woman had gotten rid of, a glowing heart rose into the sky when this one faded away.

The three women gasped in surprise when Xion landed, but regained their composure quickly enough. The one in pink even looked a little relieved when she saw the Keyblade. "Well, look what we have here, dears. A Keybearer!"

Xion looked down at the Keyblade in confusion. It seemed like everyone but she knew about this thing. "If you know what this is, I'd love to ask some questions - Oh!" Xion stepped forward and pointed to the cottage, still burning. "But what about your house!"

"Our..? Oh! Oh, yes! Of course!" The pink one whirled around, and the other two followed. "Together now, dears!" The three waved their wands and spoke in unison:

"Fires sparked by the dark ones,  
Let this destruction be undone!"

The flames vanished, and the little cottage _rebuilt itself_. A wide-eyed Xion shook her head; it was like… like magic.

The pink one spoke again. "Now then, dear, my name is Flora. These are my sisters: Fauna and Merryweather." She motioned to a taller (though still rather short) woman in green, and a shorter, chubby one in blue. "And who are you?"

"I'm Xion. And, I do have a few questions if you don't mind…" Hopefully Axel didn't come to interrupt her chance to get answers this time.

Fauna smiled. "Why, ask us whatever you like! It's not often we have a Keybearer come to visit."

"You've seen other people with weapons like this?"

"Yes, of course. Years ago, a young boy about your age saved the heart of our Princess Aurora with his Key. A friend of his then helped Prince Phillip to defeat the wicked Maleficent."

"They wouldn't have to save Aurora's heart if the third boy with the Keyblade didn't take it in the first place!" Merryweather chimed in.

Xion's head was swimming in confusion, half of what they had said didn't even make sense. But "heart"… Speaking of hearts, that creature had released one. "So, uh, what were those things?"

Flora's face hardened. "They're the Heartless, darkness made manifest. They feed on people's hearts, and their ultimate goal is to devour the heart of-" More explosions in the distance caused all four of them to turn towards the trees. "Explanations can wait until later! Come, Xion, we'll need the Keyblade's help!" With a wave of their wands, the three shrunk down to a fraction of their size and hovered around Xion's shoulders. Xion nodded and ran toward the sound.

It wasn't too far away where they found more Heartless, at a cliff overlooking a bridge and castle. These were more humanoid, with bat-like wings and helmets resembling those of old airplane pilots. Xion almost ran up to fight them, but the thought of dropping off the cliff did away with that.

"They're too far away, how am I supposed to attack them?" Luckily the Heartless hadn't flown off, but they weren't moving any closer either. Their eyes – or goggles rather – were locked on Xion's Keyblade.

"Why with magic, dear!" Fauna replied.

_Magic… _Xion immediately flashed back to the barrier Kairi had summoned, and the three fairies making the fire vanish. _I never really thought about that before. _The wind picked up as she held out the Keyblade, swirling around the length of the weapon. "Aerora!" She swung her sword forward and a burst of air shot out, striking the Heartless and blowing them off balance. With an opening available, Xion held out her free hand and an orb of light formed around it. "Pearl!" The orb expanded as it approached the Heartless, growing large enough to hit the entire group. With a bright flash, they were all gone.

Xion dismissed the Keyblade and began to laugh. The feeling of magic flowing through her was so exhilarating! She turned to thank the three fairies, but their attention was turned to someone else: a woman with long blond hair was running toward them with a smile and a wave.

"Aunt Flora! Aunt Fauna, Aunt Merryweather!"

**x-x-x**

The girl named Naminé had led Sora, Donald, and Goofy out of the pod chamber and through a lab of some sort. Up a flight of stairs and Sora had found himself in an old ruined mansion, with furniture falling apart and dust everywhere but the floor. They were now in a white room covered in drawings, though Sora didn't have time to admire them before Naminé handed him a stack of clothes and directed him to a smaller room in the corner.

He came back out a few minutes later. Goofy was looking at a drawing of some brown and green castle, Donald was pacing back and forth impatiently, and the girl was just… sitting there. A sketchbook was in her lap, but she wasn't drawing or anything. She looked worried about something.

Sora cleared his throat. "So… how do I look?" Black wasn't his favorite color, but the clothing was certainly much more comfortable than his old outfit. Donald stopped pacing for a moment and looked at the boy, before shrugging and muttering something under his breath about being ready to go.

Goofy chuckled and put a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Gawrsh, I think ya look great, Sora! Donald does too; he's just not a morning person."

Naminé stood up and the three turned to her. Picking up a pack of colored pencils from the table, Naminé gave a smile. "I'm glad it fits, I had to guess on the size. But now, if the three of you would follow me…"

Donald quacked. "What happened to explaining?!"

"I'll do what I can, but the person who you should really talk to is downstairs. Please, Sora, Donald, Goofy… follow me." Naminé walked out of the white room with her sketchbook and pencils, and Sora and Goofy followed close behind. Donald's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, but then the duck let out a sigh and followed as well.

Down the creaking old stairs they went, into the mansion's foyer. Destroyed displays like something out of a museum decorated the large room, and Donald walked awkwardly around the shattered glass on the floor. Sora spared a glance at the only case still intact, which held a crumbling castle model inside. It almost looked like Hollow Bastion.

One more door and the group entered a small dining room. Naminé stood back while Sora, Donald, and Goofy stepped through. The table in the center of the room had been shattered, but a man still sat in one of the chairs around it. He wore red and most of his face was covered in bandages, but the golden eyes and tan skin put Sora off.

"At last," the man's voice was deep. "The Keyblade's chosen one."

"And who are you?"

He gave a slow laugh, but Sora wasn't sure why his question was so funny. "I am a servant of the world, though I suppose you meant my name. The day may come when you are ready to learn it, but for now, 'DiZ' will do." He nodded to Naminé, who shut the door and took a seat next to DiZ. "Please, sit… Now, I am sure the three of you want some explanations."

Goofy scratched his head. "Well, mister DiZ sir, I would like to know why we're here."

Naminé opened her sketchbook and turned to a drawing of a group in black coats. "It started with them," she said. "About a year ago, this group - Organization XIII – lured you to a world called Castle Oblivion. They… I... took your memories, and-"

DiZ interrupted her. "Using Naminé, Organization XIII took your memories and, with them, half of your power. They used the stolen power and implanted it within one of their members. Eventually you defeated the leader of the operation, though not of Organization XIII as a whole. Naminé then was able to restore your memories at the price of forgetting about Castle Oblivion, but the half of your power they took is still missing."

"So… I'm not as strong as I was a year ago?" The brown haired boy frowned. "But why would they do that?"

"I'm afraid I do not know the details, but I do have my suspicions." Naminé turned the page to a new drawing, one of a Shadow Heartless and a strange white creature with a zipper for a mouth, and DiZ continued. "You see, the members of Organization XIII are not humans at all. They are empty vessels, completely emotionless. We call them Nobodies…"

**x-x-x**

Naminé frowned as DiZ explained Nobodies to the three, flipping the sketchbook to new pictures as DiZ required visual aid, but otherwise not really paying attention; her mind was still stuck on his recap of Castle Oblivion. He wasn't exactly lying, but it wasn't really the full truth either. Sora lost half his power when Roxas was formed, and DiZ hadn't even mentioned Roxas so far. He also wasn't mentioning how Xion had betrayed the Organization and restored most of the power to Sora already.

Just what was he up to?

"Naminé!" She snapped back to attention and looked up to see DiZ glaring at her. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were talking amongst themselves, no doubt sharing their thoughts on the revelations about Nobodies and Organization XIII. DiZ's voice was a low whisper as he got up from the chair next to her. "Next time, do not fall into your fantasies. I will not tolerate to _take care_ you if you are no longer of aid to me."

She simply nodded. What else could she do?

Sora turned to the two of them with his hands behind his head. "Okay, so I guess we're off to fight the Heartless and those Nobody guys. Thanks for the help!"

"Naminé will escort you to Twilight Town at the far end of the forest. Once there, seek out the train station at the highest point in the city. A friend of yours has a gift for you."

"Oh boy, a gift!" Donald cheered, and he and Goofy left the room. Sora turned to leave, but then he looked back over his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah," He smiled. "Thank you, Naminé."

**x-x-x**

Xion, the three fairies, and Aurora sat in the small dining room of the cottage. After being introduced, Aurora had explained to Xion the concepts of the worlds, Heartless, and Princesses of Heart. The news that Xion had already met Kairi actually didn't come as much of a shock – Aurora admitted that from a distance she actually thought Xion _was_ Kairi.

Xion frowned as she put down her tea. "So, you don't know anything about Nobodies or people in black hoods?" Aurora simply shook her head, and Xion sighed.

Fauna looked out the window, where the sun was beginning to set. "Rose, shouldn't you be returning to the castle soon?"

"Must I? It's not often I get to spend time with you three any more."

"And we love your visits, but it wouldn't do for the queen to spend time out in the woods. Think of what the people would say."

"I suppose so." Aurora stood up, put on her coat, and bid the four farewell – but once out the door she stopped. "Oh… Xion, might I ask a request?"

Xion blinked. "Um, sure. I mean-yes, Your Majesty."

"Oh, stop that. I'm not royalty out here. But, I would like to ask you to seal our world's Keyhole while you're here."

Keyhole? They hadn't mentioned anything about that.

Flora must have read the confusion on Xion's face. "A Keyhole is the gateway to the heart of a world itself. The Heartless enter Keyholes and consume the world's heart, casting the world and all who live on it into the darkness. But the Keyblade can lock the Keyholes, forever keeping the world's heart safe."

"Our world was actually destroyed once before!" Merryweather said. "I don't want to have to face that again!"

"If it's that important, of course I'll help you all!" Xion smiled and summoned the Keyblade, pointing it up in the air.

"Fantastic, thank you!" Aurora gave a bright smile and Xion walked out the door. The older woman pointed to a peak in the distance. "The Keyhole is at the top of the mountain beyond the forest. It's a dark place where a wicked old witch named Maleficent once lived, but she's gone now. It shouldn't be too dangerous."

"Okay, I'll be back soon."

As Xion went toward the mountain and Aurora back to the castle, the three fairies waved goodbye to both. Flora, however, had an itching thought in her mind. When facing the Air Soldiers, Xion had used both wind and light magic, the same as the boy from eleven years ago. Was it just a coincidence?


	5. Under Lock and Key

**Chapter 5: Under Lock and Key**

Despite starting off optimistic, Xion soon came to wonder if maybe she shouldn't have planned things out more. She was climbing a mountain, after all. And not just any mountain, but a mountain swarming with Heartless!

More of the floating red things flew around her; Red Nocturnes was what Aurora had called them. Sure they fell quickly enough, but for each one that faded away two more took its place. Xion soon found herself surrounded not just by the Red Nocturnes, but by identical Heartless in shades of yellow and blue.

Currently on a narrow trail up the mountain, Xion didn't exactly have a lot of room to move around. Any sudden movements and she'd probably slip and plummet off the mountain; she'd have to play it safe and stay on the defensive for now. The Blue Rhapsodies launched blasts of ice at Xion, which she cut apart with the Keyblade. Aero doused the Red Nocturnes' flames. In the back, the Yellow Operas simply swung back and forth in midair.

Xion launched a Pearl spell. It took out a good number, but nowhere near the whole crowd. And still the Yellow Operas only hung around in the back, like they were waiting for something. Hearing a sound from up above, Xion spared a glance up. At the top of the cliff her back was firmly planted against was a knight-like Heartless with a lance, and a boulder nearby it. The Heartless was using its lance as leverage… the boulder was about to fall!

_Crap! _Xion jumped out of the way as the large rock came crashing down right where she once stood, but she wasn't any safer now. Struggling to regain her balance, one of Xion's feet slipped off the narrow path and for a brief, horrible moment she reeled back into empty air. Xion struck the Keyblade into the earth and used it to pull herself back into position.

That's when the Yellow Operas finally acted.

Lightning struck down from the sky, and Xion screamed as the electricity coursed through her body. Stunned by the shock, the Blue Rhapsodies took that opportunity to launch another chunk of ice. It slammed hard into Xion's side, knocking her off the mountain.

With the forest approaching at terrifying speeds, Xion held her hand out and cast an Aerora spell. The wind wrapped itself tightly around her, slowing her descent just enough. Xion dug her Keyblade into the side of the mountain with both hands, her shoulders threatening to burst out of their sockets from the sudden stop. Wide-eyed and panting, Xion glanced up at the Heartless. They were gone, which was good, but now she had been set back in progress.

Pulling herself up onto a ledge, Xion dismissed the Keyblade and leaned against the rock wall. She let out a soft, scared laugh as she realized just what had almost happened. "Things aren't exactly going swimmingly, but at least I'm not dead on the forest floor…" Xion put a hand to her side, where the ice had hit. Already she could tell it was beginning to bruise. "What I wouldn't give for a Cure spell right now…"

Xion stood up, wincing as she did, and took the time to take in her surroundings. The ledge wasn't nearly as narrow as the one she had fallen from, so that was good. A large crack in the mountainside caught her eye, and after a moment she peered inside to investigate. With a gasp, Xion found herself looking at a large cavern. "Well, not like there's anywhere else to go at this point…"

Sliding her whole body through the small entrance to the cavern wasn't easy, but Xion managed. Illuminating it with a glow from the tip of her Keyblade, she got a closer look around. The first chamber was large and round. _Too_ round. It was unnatural - somebody made this cave. As if in confirmation, Xion tripped over something and held out the Keyblade's light to get a better look. Old stone steps led up into another chamber.

The chamber was very tall, and a great spiraling staircase moved around the walls. Higher up, the wall changed from grey stone to green brick. At the highest point, in the darkness far above her, were twin points of orange light - torches, most likely.

"Maybe it'd be safer to travel up the mountain in here than outside." Tightening her grip on the Keyblade and placing a hand on her bruised side, Xion began travelling up the winding staircase, moving past the number of stone gargoyles along the wall.

About halfway up the staircase a creaking noise made Xion stop. She spun around and pointed her Keyblade out into the dark, but its light illuminated nothing except another one of the gargoyles sitting on its podium. _I'm just being paranoid_, she reassured herself. But as she continued moving up, a purple and black orb flew past. "Okay, I know I didn't imagine that."

_Thunk, thunk, thunk._

Xion looked back behind her to see nothing but the gargoyle again… only it wasn't where it was a moment ago. It was moving, and its eyes were glowing bright yellow! Heartless gargoyles, how perfect was that? Making sure she had stable footing – there was no desire to repeat that earlier fall – Xion charged at the gargoyle and swung her Keyblade. _Somehow_ it flew out of the way despite the weight of the stone pillar still attached to it.

Flying in the darkness, Xion could just barely make out the silhouette of the Heartless. Its eyes, however, continued to glow brightly. Xion formed a Pearl spell in her hand and launched it out; though the contact illuminated the room for a brief second, the Heartless was unaffected. It didn't even flinch. Magic wasn't going to be of much use here, then.

Well… maybe not directly. "Aero!" Xion called up a whirlwind that knocked the Heartless around. It didn't injure it, but it did cause the thing to lose the ability to stay aloft for a moment. As it plummeted into the darkness, Xion ran up the stairs again. No doubt it would be back on her tail soon enough.

_CRASH!_

The sound of stone shattering wasn't what Xion expected to hear. The purple and black orb from before floated up from where the gargoyle had dropped, and this time Xion got a better look at it: bright yellow eyes gave away the identity as a Heartless pretty quickly. The orb vanished into another gargoyle in front of her, and this one came to life as well.

"Now I understand," Xion gave a smile. "It possesses things. The gargoyles themselves are just statues."

This gargoyle lacked wings, but it made up for them with a heavy battleaxe. She jumped out of the way from its swing, the weight of the weapon carrying it forward a bit. Xion kicked the thing in the back, causing it to stumble, and then slammed her Keyblade into the back of its head. Contact with her Keyblade caused it to shudder, and then Xion got an interesting idea.

_Well, I got nothing to lose… _Recalling how she had unlocked the doors on Destiny Islands, Xion held out her Keyblade to the gargoyle and fired a beam of light at it. The reaction was rather violent, and the gargoyle exploded, sending chunks of rock everywhere. The Possessor was unharmed though, floating higher up into the chamber.

"Not so fast!" Xion called out, running the rest of the way up the staircase. At the top platform, between two torches, were stone doors with two gargoyles carved into it. The Possessor made its way to the doors, and sure enough the twin gargoyles came to life. "Alright, if that's the way you wanna be."

The twin Heartless lashed out at Xion with stretchy arms, tossing her back against the wall. As she got to her feet, a swarm of bat-like Heartless with red hooks on their lower bodies flew down from the ceiling. A few blasts of Aero took care of them, but evidently they were just a distraction as another axe gargoyle appeared and attacked her. Xion rolled out of the way, striking it at the pillar and throwing it off balance. With a kick she knocked it into empty space, watching it plummet and hearing the crash far below.

No more distractions, then. Xion fired another beam of light from the Keyblade, releasing the Possessor from the doors. The Heartless almost seemed shocked, but before it could return to the doors she placed herself between the two. "Pearl!" The orb of light knocked the Heartless back, and Xion took a running leap, hitting it hard with the Keyblade. Letting out a chilling screech, the Possessor at last faded into darkness. The stone doors swung open behind her, leading out to the peak of the mountain.

**x-x-x**

"Oh, Pete, what are you still doin' here?" The large cat said to himself, walking around the ruined castle. "Maleficent ain't here after all. Maybe I should check Hollow Bastion. But uh, then again…"

Pete looked up at that raven again as it sat on the crumbling walls. He recognized it for sure, that was Diablo: Maleficent's pet. So despite his inability to find the evil fairy, maybe she was somewhere around after all.

Diablo tilted his head as if hearing something, then let out another loud, echoing caw and took off. "H-Hey, wait! Don't just leave me alone out here!" Pete ran after the raven, stumbling over bricks and abandoned weapons as he chased him across the old courtyard. "Hey, I'm talkin' to you, bird!"

Diablo landed on the remains of a tower, and Pete soon followed. Panting with his hands on his knees, he glared up at the bird. "What… was that… all about, huh?!" Diablo motioned down at the bottom of the tower and Pete looked over the edge. Once he would have seen nothing but more of the dull green bricks, but time caused the floor to collapse, revealing the old dungeons. And walking out of an old pair of stone doors was… a girl?

"Wait a minute, I know that face!" Pete cried, and when the girl glanced around looking for the voice he covered his mouth. Much quieter, he grimaced at Diablo. "Why, she and that pesky blond friend of hers caused all kinds of trouble for me back in Agrabah!" He laughed darkly, opening a corridor behind him and stepping into it. "But I don't see no friend to help her this time. Time for ol' Pete to get his revenge!"

**x-x-x**

"Potions… that's good." Xion smiled as she shut the chest, drinking the contents of the bottle until it was empty. Sure enough, the ache in her back and the bruising on her side vanished. "Too bad there aren't any ethers, though. I don't think I have enough in me for more than maybe two more spells… "As she walked into a new part of the old castle, a circular throne room, Xion stopped. "Huh?"

The now all too familiar sight of a corridor of darkness opened up before Xion, and she took a cautious step back. Had Axel found her? But as a figure took shape and the darkness faded, Xion let out a breath she didn't even realize she had held. The guy in front of her was big, dressed in red and blue, and looked like a cat. Definitely _not_ Axel.

He let out a mocking laugh and pointed a chubby finger at Xion. "Well, well, long time no see! How ya doing, pipsqueak? You know I have a lot to say to you after Agrabah! Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the might Pete!"

_What's an 'Agrabah'?_ was the first thought in Xion's mind. What she said, however, was "Have we met before?" Hopefully this guy wasn't going to attack her like Axel was, and she could actually get some answers.

The cat's… Pete's… haughty act broke for a moment. "Uh, wait a minute here, have I made a mistake?" He looked up at something far above, and Xion heard a faint cawing noise. Then he turned back to her and looked her dead in the eye. "Oh, I get it! Playin' dumb, eh? I'm not falling for that trick, no sir!"

Pete snapped his fingers and a Heartless appeared beside him. It resembled a knight, with the emblem on its shoulder pads, but in place of hands were two glowing orange swords. Xion grit her teeth and summoned the Keyblade. This guy could control the Heartless? Just who was he?

Pete laughed. "Aha, I knew it! That Keyblade proves it: you're the kid from Agrabah! I'd love to beat ya down, but I need to go and find Maleficent." He stepped back into the corridor and signaled to the Heartless. "Blitz Spear, take care of her!"

"Maleficent?" Aurora had mentioned her. But as the corridor collapsed, the Heartless charged forward. Xion brought up her Keyblade to block it, but instead found herself hit by a current of electricity that surged through the metal of her weapon. Screaming in pain, Xion fell back and landed on her rear. The Blitz Spear jumped backwards, somersaulting in the air. The dumb thing was showing off.

Spinning around in place, the Blitz Spear began sparkling with electricity. It slammed its swords onto the ground and Xion felt a now familiar sparkling sensation in the air. She jumped out of the way as a bolt of lightning shot down… but unfortunately landed right in the path of a shockwave the Heartless had sent forward. Flying back against the ruined walls of the throne room, Xion glared up at the Heartless which was once again preparing to strike.

It jumped forward, and Xion swung her Keyblade forward to meet it. "Aerora!" A burst of wind sent the Heartless crashing against the other side of the room, stunning it momentarily. Xion responded with a Strike Raid, and ran after the Keyblade as she tossed it. By the time it returned to her grip, Xion was in the perfect position for a jump strike on the Heartless.

Unfortunately, it chose that moment to wake up. The Blitz Spear rolled out of the way and Xion hit the ground. That sensation filled the air again, and Xion once more dodged the lightning bolt. This time she jumped over the shockwave as well and moved to strike the Heartless in the chest. It held up its swords and parried her blow, sending more surges of electricity through the Keyblade.

"No you… don't!" Thrusting her hand forward, Xion unleashed another blast of wind – the last one she had in her. The Heartless was knocked up into the air, and Xion jumped after it. She slashed the Heartless across the chest, spinning it around midair, and then stabbed it through the back. The Blitz Spear faded away as she landed.

A faint humming sound echoed across the empty chamber, and Xion looked up at the dusty old throne. Just above it something was glowing a bright shade of blue, and the tip of her Keyblade had begun to glow the same. "Is this the Keyhole…?" The shape certainly matched. Xion spun the Keyblade in her hand and pointed it at the Keyhole. A beam of light shot out from the tip, and ripples of light spread out from the hole where the beam made contact.

_Click. _

The Keyhole faded, leaving nothing but a vaguely keyhole-shaped mark on the bricks. In the sky above, the dark clouds began to fade away, leaving the mountain exposed to the sunlight. "Was that it?" Xion wondered aloud, dismissing the Keyblade.

"Oh, well done! Well done!" Fauna's familiar voice called out, and Xion looked to see three miniature fairies flying down into the ruined roof. As they approached the ground they grew in size, until they were at their normal heights once more. "The Heartless won't be gone, but we won't have to worry about fading into darkness anymore!"

"Where are you off to next?" Merryweather asked, and Xion brought a hand to her chin, the other on her hip.

"…You know, I'm not actually sure. I'd like to find some answers, but I don't even know how to get around the worlds." She held out her hand almost expecting a corridor of darkness to open, but nothing happened.

The three fairies turned to one another and spoke in hushed whispers for a minute, then turned back to Xion. Flora smiled and held out her wand. "I believe we have just the thing!"

"_For one who wishes to travel far,  
__What is required is the shard of a star.  
__A gift from the master of a mysterious tower,  
__Let we three good fairies grant you his power."_

In a bright flash, a mysterious item appeared before Xion. Bright blue, it was shaped like a star except for one missing point where a green something-or-other resembling a lightning bolt was. A smaller green star was in the center. Xion took it - it fit in the palm of her hand - and looked at the fairies with a confused expression.

"That's a Star Shard, dear!" Flora explained. "A gift from a wise old magician we met when our world first fell into darkness. It has the power to transport you between worlds!"

"But be careful! There's no way to control what world you'll end up on!" Fauna warned.

Xion glanced down at the Star Shard. Transport between worlds, huh… She smiled at the three fairies. "Thank you. It may be random, but this is the best chance I've got." Holding out her hand, the Star Shard began to glow. As the fairies waved goodbye, everything went white…

**x-x-x**

Pete grumbled as he sat in the old dungeons of Maleficent's castle. The sky had become clear and the sounds of battle had stopped, which could only mean that the Keyblade girl had beaten the Heartless and locked the Keyhole. Maleficent was going to be so mad about the latter!

Diablo cawed and Pete looked up through the hole in the ceiling. "What do ya want now? Go bother someone else – huh?!"

The raven had something in its beak as it landed: a familiar black cape. It dropped it on the ground and flew off again.

"H-Hey, what's this? Did you find Maleficent? Tell me what you're up to!"

But an echoing laugh caught Pete's attention, and green flames formed around the cape. It rose into the air, the laugh growing clearer, as a familiar figure materialized in the cape.

Maleficent frowned as she looked around at the ruins she had once made her base. When she saw the clear sky, the frown deepened into a scowl. Her gaze turned to Pete, and he gave a nervous laugh.

"What happened while I was gone?"

* * *

_Maleficent is here! I hope to keep her a credible threat, unlike how canon kind of downgraded her pretty dramatically in KH2 and Coded. And yeah, the fairies still know Yen Sid even if they aren't staying in his tower at present._

_The next few chapters are going to be really fun for me, I think. Not only is the movie the new world is based on one of my favorites, but I actually live where it's set. Well, not **exactly **where it's set... I live in a city as opposed to a small town, but it's honestly not very far away so I can kind of get a better feel for the culture than a tourist can.  
I know that's incredibly vague, but that's on purpose. If you have any guesses, go ahead and guess in the reviews. I think everyone's going to be pleasantly surprised._


	6. A Girl and a Dog

**MegaFlameHedge:**_ Thanks for the kind words! I was actually surprised at just how much fun I had writing Pete, so I'm glad to hear it sounded right._

* * *

"…and then she ran off into the corridor. I tried tracking her down, but I have no idea where the darkness spit her out. Eventually I just came home." Axel sighed and glanced up at his superiors sitting on their taller thrones. Saïx looked deep in thought, Xemnas's face was totally blank, and Xigbar was leaning back and smiling… who knew _what _that one was thinking. "So, I guess that's mission failed, huh?"

Saïx nodded, pressing his lips together. "Absolutely. You will receive your punishment later, Axel. For now, you are dismissed." For an instant Axel's confidence faded, and Saïx saw hints of an old friend's worry in his bright green eyes. But that was only for an instant, and with a wave the redhead disappeared. Saïx turned his attention to the other two. "If Xion has truly lost all memory, then that can only mean one thing."

Xemnas gave a slow nod, raising his hands from the armrests and gesturing as he spoke. "It would seem that despite my best efforts to reprogram Xion, she fought back anyway and our old friend has gotten what he wanted. No doubt, Sora will awaken soon – or perhaps he is awake already."

"This could be problematic…"

"As if!" Xigbar laughed, leaning back. "This is perfect! Hear me out, alright? Sora's up and running, but Xion's still around. That means she's still running on a fuel, on a _heart_; Roxas's heart, probably. It's a win-win situation: Xion can still do her thing and gather up hearts for us, but now we got a second Keyblade in Sora." He crossed his arms and smiled. "Hey, I don't know about you guys, but I sure wasn't ecstatic about only having one Key; the sooner we get this done the better."

"We can manipulate Sora as long as he remains in the dark, but what of Xion?" Saïx glared daggers at Xigbar. "The moment it remembers, all our plans go down the drain. That puppet knows everything, and we can't afford to have someone that dangerous outside the Organization."

Xigbar smiled once more – a big, toothy grin. "Just leave Xion to me. We've handled memories before, haven't we?"

"Are you proposing that we use-"

"Here are the new orders." Xemnas's monotone voice cut Saïx off. "Axel will continue his mission to hunt Xion, and Xigbar will work on 'convincing' Xion to rejoin us once Axel is successful." He smirked.

"Easy enough, boss!" Xigbar gave an exaggerated salute as Xemnas and Saïx vanished.

He didn't follow them.

Xigbar sat for a long time in the Round Room, drumming his fingers on the arm of his throne. "So little poppet is keeping his heart all nice and cozy, huh? I'll have to thank her some time. After all…"

"…his heart is exactly what we need."

Xigbar looked over his shoulder and smirked at the newcomer. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

**Chapter 6: A Girl and a Dog**

The first thing she heard was the sound of the tides.

The light from her trip between worlds faded and Xion blinked as her eyes adjusted. The sky was bright blue and without a cloud in sight, and the sun shined brightly. Warm, golden sand crunched beneath her feet, with the deep blue of the ocean washing against it. Xion spun around to see a dense jungle behind her, and the sound of voices off in the distance.

"Am I back at the Destiny Islands already?" She didn't see the smaller island out in the water, but then it was possible she was on the side that wasn't facing it. Then again, that sense of "home" she felt on the islands wasn't there this time… "Only one way to find out, I suppose." Xion made her way toward the sounds off in the distance.

The jungle definitely felt heavier, more humid. The colors of the plants were more vibrant, and the animals matched that brightness. The more Xion hiked through the foliage, the more she was certain this wasn't Destiny Islands after all. Sure enough, she finally emerged into town to find it completely unfamiliar.

A large dirt road went through the small town, and the buildings along it weren't made of brick or cement, but wood. A small old woman with large glasses swept outside of her shop which was stocked with fruit, and a number of tanned people with dark hair walked the streets. A few with lighter skin wore flower-print shirts or bathing suits. The whole place gave off a distinctive rural feeling.

"I guess it's a completely new world after all."

Xion walked out into the town and began thinking of a way to go about asking where she was without seeming too conspicuous. As she made her way to a beach where a lot of people were gathering, a furry blueball shot out of the nearby building with a cry of "Tukibowaba!"

It landed in front of a startled Xion, unrolling into a blue thing sitting in the dirt that stared up at her with big black eyes. What on earth was this, some kind of koala? No one else was even reacting, so it must have been a normal sight.

The little blue creature didn't budge from its seat in the dirt road, tilting its head as it continued to stare at Xion. It muttered something in a language she hadn't heard before, then its ears rose up and it turned its head to the building it had rocketed out of.

"Stitch! Wait for me!" A little girl in a red dress came running out of the building now, stumbling as she shoved a grass skirt into her backpack. She seemed to be calling to the little blue thing, which smiled at her as she approached.

"Lilo slow!" It cackled. As the little girl approached she slowed down, her eyes falling on Xion.

"Who's this, Stitch?" The little blue thing just shrugged in reply, and before Xion could answer the question the girl pulled a camera out of her backpack and took a picture of Xion. The creature laughed again and ran off. The little girl followed close behind, saying "What do you think: Japanese or Korean?"

"What was that all about?" The whole thing went by so quickly Xion didn't really even know what to make of it. She shook her head to snap her out of the confusion. "Oh well, back to figuring out where I am…" She continued down the dirt road, which slowly but surely began to give way to pavement.

As the road got paved over, the jungle vanished to make way for flat plains. A low mountain off in the distance cast a shadow over the town as the sun moved behind it. Crossing a bridge over a wide river, Xion found herself facing a larger section of town. Much more dense, though not on the scale of a proper city, there were more of the paler skinned people here than back in the more rural section.

A siren went off on the beach, and Xion jumped in surprise. Moving into a combat stance, she was prepared to call her Keyblade at a moment's notice when she heard a laugh. A middle-aged woman sweeping the porch of her shop smiled and put her broom to the side.

"Don't worry about that, hon. Those are just the tsunami warning sirens, they're tested every now and then to make sure they work. Ya always gotta be prepared for big waves in Hawaii, you know!" As she went back to sweeping, Xion relaxed and felt her cheeks grow red in embarrassment.

Continuing down the street, Xion looked out to the sea. "Hawaii, huh… Well I know the name, what do I do now?" She reached for the Star Shard, but hesitated when she saw the people looking around and muttering in worry. "What's the big deal? I don't hear anything except…"

Oh. The sirens. They _had_ been going on for a while, hadn't they?

A scream came from the beach, and Xion whirled around to see swarms of people fleeing. Out in the water was a growing bulge, like a dome of water. Xion hadn't ever seen a tsunami in person before, but she was pretty sure that wasn't what it looked like.

With a loud splash, the dome of water fell to reveal a large, ball-shaped blue fish with smaller green humanoid creatures around it. That itself was a pretty frightening sight, but Xion's eyes were immediately drawn to the familiar black and red emblem on all the creatures.

"Heartless!" Almost like they heard her, the Screwdivers shot toward Xion through the air as swiftly as if they were underwater. Summoning the Keyblade, she parried the blow and knocked two of them back, only to be slammed into by a third. As she swung again they "swam" up into the air, where they were joined by a number of jellyfish-like Heartless.

One Screwdiver dove down, struck at Xion, and went back up before she could hit it in reply. Xion turned away from the Heartless and ran back, taking her eyes off them just for a moment as she got enough distance. Hurling her Keyblade, a Strike Raid took out the Sea Neons quickly enough. The Screwdivers charged at her again, and Xion replied by conjuring up a wind that knocked them this way and that. One landed about a yard to her right, and Xion stabbed the Keyblade right through it as it vanished.

A long banging noise quickly reminded Xion of the Aquatank, which had begun bouncing up and down along the streets. She tried running to it only for two more Screwdivers to get in her way, crossing their tridents together as a makeshift barrier. Xion grit her teeth and fought against the two, but as one parried her attacks the other would strike from behind.

Then, a familiar high-pitched cackle rang through the town and a furry ball sailed through the air. Crashing on the head of a Screwdiver and bouncing off, it unfurled and the blue creature from before landed in front of the Aquatank. It glanced around at the people still in town then pointed to a large building and called out to them, "Ah-chooga moopa!"

The people seemed to understand what it meant and swarmed into the building, where the little girl from before stood in the doorway and gave a thumbs-up. The little blue thing returned the sign and planted its feet firmly in the street. "Okay…" As the Aquatank bounced down on it, Xion winced… then the Aquatank wobbled and rose off the ground, revealing the creature perfectly fine beneath it, and lifting it up off the ground. It laughed once more, and shouted "Bye-bye!" as it tossed the Aquatank up into the air. Xion took that as her cue and fired a Pearl spell at it, destroying the Heartless.

The creature evidently hadn't been expecting that, as it let out a surprised sound and turned to see Xion. Its eyes widened, but not at her – its gaze was locked dead on her Keyblade. "What? Fren… circle?"

Xion didn't understand, but evidently it recognized what a Keyblade was. At this rate she'd be surprised finding someone who _didn't _know about these things. Before she got a chance to ask what a "fren circle" was, the creature pointed behind her.

"Ikata! Behind you!" Xion whirled to see the two Screwdivers from before approaching, just barely getting her Keyblade up in time to defend the attack. The blue creature leaped up and struck one in the chest, giving Xion the opening. She slashed both across their emblems and they faded away.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, Xion chuckled and smiled at the little blue thing, which was still looking at her Keyblade. "Thanks for helping me there. My name is Xion, and you…?"

"Meega Stitch! Stitch fluffy!" It looked down at the ground and for a moment lost that energy. "Ah, um… Ven, Terra, Ah-koo wa?"

What were those, more of Stitch's strange language? …No, actually, they almost sounded like names. "Sorry, I don't know what you're saying. Are those people?"

"Oketaka…" Stitch sighed. Then he looked over to the large building, where the people had begun to leave. The little girl smiled and waved, and Stitch's happy attitude came back immediately. "Lilo!"

"Who's this, Stitch?" She asked when she approached, but then recognition appeared on her face. "Oh, you're the Japanese tourist from before!"

"The… what?"

"My name is Lilo! And this is Stitch, my… dog."

"Bark, bark!" Stitch affirmed, and Xion had to hold back a laugh. Whatever Stitch was, he clearly _wasn't_ a dog.

"Okay, Lilo and Stitch. Do those monsters usually show up here?"

"No, not usually. Just in the last day or so!" She motioned for Xion to lean closer and whispered in the older girl's ear. "I think they're actually illegal genetic experiments!"

"R-Really…?" This girl sure had a wild imagination. But if she was Stitch's friend, maybe Lilo had some idea of what he was trying to say earlier. "Say, Lilo. Do you have any idea what this is? Stitch was talking before about a 'fren circle' and some names I hadn't heard before." She held out her Keyblade, which Lilo inspected with a soft "wow!"

But the little girl shook her head. "I've never seen something like this before, sorry! It's really cool though! What is this about, Stitch?"

Stitch muttered something, clearly debating what to say, then let out a loud over-the-top sigh. "Eh… Stitch, show you! Maka-maka!" He ran off down the road, toward where the jungle started to return. Lilo followed and motioned for Xion to come along.

"Jumba's spaceship is this way, hurry up! I wanna find out what this is about too!"

"S-Spaceship?!"

**x-x-x**

On the roof of one of the town's shops, Pete threw a minor temper tantrum. Slamming his fist into his palm, he grit his teeth. "Ooh, that Keyblade brat is making me so mad! Not enough that she messes with us at Enchanted Dominion, but now she's on this little island too!"

Behind him, Maleficent watched the three down below as they faded from sight in the jungle. "The girl can be a problem, but that blue creature fascinates me…"

"What, the blue pipsqueak? Well, I guess he was kinda strong for a thing his size…"

"Exactly." Maleficent grinned and tightened her grip on her staff. "The creature has tremendous strength, and we can make use of that. Release more Heartless, Pete, and try your best on that one as well." As she spoke, green flames spread around her.

"Uh, sure thing Maleficent, but… where are you goin'?"

"Why, where else? To find our prize on this world before the Key does." With her signature laugh, Maleficent vanished and left behind only a few green embers in her place. Pete's face hardened, and with a nod he jumped down onto the street. Maleficent gave him a task, and he wasn't about to botch _this_ one up! Just where did that blue thing run off to?

**x-x-x**

"Okay, thanks for the help!" Sora called to the three kids as Donald and Goofy marched their way up the hill. He gave a wave and turned to follow his friends.

"Gee, what nice fellers!" Goofy smiled.

"The tall one coulda been less rude!" Was Donald's reply, crossing his arms. Sora and Goofy gave lighthearted chuckles in response.

Naminé had led the trio to this place, Twilight Town, and returned to the forest once they had said their goodbyes and thanks. After taking in the sights and wandering around rather lost, they came across a group of three kids about Sora's age in a back room beneath some train tracks. Despite a cold reception from the apparent leader of the group, Hayner, the other two – Pence and Olette – were friendly enough and provided them with directions to the train station atop a mountain. Now they made their way up, finding themselves in a large plaza with a clock tower stretching high into the sky. Just looking at the thing made Sora's head spin.

"Wow, would ya look at the view!" Goofy pointed out over the railing, where Twilight Town's orange buildings could be seen for miles around, and out in the distance the ocean sparkled in the sunset. "Gawrsh, I bet it's even prettier from up on that tower!"

Before Sora could respond, a whooshing sound caught his attention. "Huh?" _Whoosh. Whoosh. _He looked around for the source, but couldn't find anything.

Donald quacked. "Up there!" Standing on the steps to the train station was a man in black coat, hood up, surrounded by strange white creatures. "It must be Organization XIII, like DiZ told us!"

The man let out a slow chuckle, and Sora thought he saw a goateed face smile in the shadows of the hood. "Oh, DiZ told you all about us after all? That spoils the game!" He snapped his hands and more of the white creatures appeared, their teleport accompanied by the whooshing sound. So that's what it was.

"Gawrsh, are these the Nobody guys?" Goofy asked, hesitating a bit behind his shield. Donald let out an angry quack and launched a blast of fire at the man, but he simply vanished and reappeared on the railing behind the trio.

Darkness formed at his feet, creeping up around his body. "I'm afraid it's not time for me yet, boys. Work your way up the bracket first!" As he was consumed by the corridor, the Dusks swarmed their way around the three.

Luckily, despite their menacing appearances they all fell quickly enough. Sora soon discovered that if you left their sight the Dusks had no idea where you were, and took advantage of this by swinging around behind them every chance he got. But for every one defeated, two more simply took its place. The fight continued on for a long time, and eventually Sora, Donald, and Goof just collapsed in the middle of the plaza.

"I guess we're still tired." Sora muttered, and braced himself for the Nobodies to close in. But something large and red roared overhead, creating winds as it flew past the plaza. Circling around the tower, it came in for another round and fired guns at the Nobodies. That's when Sora finally recognized it, his jaw dropping. "The _Highwind_!"

Sure enough, the flying contraption was their familiar red and yellow gummi ship. But just who was piloting it? Once the Nobodies began dodging the laser fire, it came to a halt, hovering in the air above the plaza. The door opened and a small figure jumped out, sailing through the air before crashing into a Dusk. The figure was a blur of red and black, jumping from Dusk to Dusk and taking out each one before finally landing in front of the group and holding out a familiar sight – a golden Keyblade with a silver hilt.

"Your Majesty?!" Donald and Goofy cried out, running over to him. Those big round ears were unmistakable. King Mickey moved a finger over his mouth to hush them, but nonetheless laughed as Goofy picked him up in a big hug.

"Gosh, it's great to see ya all again! It's been way too long!"

Sora smiled at the squeaky voice. He had only met the King once before, at the Door to Darkness, but something about Mickey was just so heartwarming. But speaking of that day, something wasn't right. "Hey, uh, Your Majesty… where's Riku?"

Mickey's smile never faded, but his eyes grew a bit more sober. "Sora, I'm afraid a lot has happened while you were asleep. I made a promise. I'm sorry, but I can't tell ya."

Sora sighed. "I see…"

"But, I do have something for ya!" Mickey pointed up at the _Highwind_. "I found your gummi ship docked at the last world you stopped at and brought it back for ya!"

"Castle Oblivion, right?" Donald asked, and Mickey jumped a little in surprise.

"I guess you guys already met DiZ, then. So ya know what's up?" Donald and Goofy nodded, and he looked to Sora who still seemed depressed at the lack of Riku. "Then you all know that Organization XIII needs to be stopped. Maybe you'll run into Riku on the way, haha!"

That seemed to brighten Sora's mood. "So, will you be joining us, Your Majesty?"

Mickey's shoulders dropped. "Gosh, guys. I wanna, but I need to go see an old friend." His gaze wandered over to the train station. "But I'll catch up to ya when I can. For now, head off. I hear Hollow Bastion has been doing pretty well, and I bet your friends would like to see ya!"

"Right. Thank you, Your Majesty." Sora smiled as Mickey ran off to the train station. Donald tried to go after him, but Goofy held the duck back. The brown haired boy looked up to the gummi ship.

"What do you say, guys? Up for one more adventure?"

* * *

_As I said last chapter, I do live where this one takes place – Hawaii, that is. But I'm not a native and I'm not actually on the same island. I found out while writing this that _Lilo and Stitch _takes place in a town called __Hanapepe on the island of Kauai__._

_Also, turns out Stitch's gibberish has real translations._


	7. Meega Nala Kweesta

_This chapter was a struggle to write for some reason, and so I apologize if it's lacking in quality._

* * *

**Chapter 7: Meega Nala Kweesta**

Xion thought that she had grown used to navigating jungles at this point. She had actually considered herself actually kind of good at it; jumping over the roots, slipping under the branches, and sliding down the small cliffs. After two islands' worth of it, Xion felt like this stuff came so naturally to her.

But Lilo was showing Xion that she had pretty clearly thought too highly of herself.

"Come on, faster!" Lilo called back to the older girl, yards ahead of her as her little legs sped her through the woods. "Stitch went this way!" Xion couldn't even _see_ Stitch anymore, his cries of "maka maka!" faint in the distance.

As they continued on, Xion started noticing that things didn't look quite right. Trees were toppled over and a large section of grass had been torn out and tossed everywhere. It looked like something huge had come barreling through the jungle, knocking away everything in its path. Stitch was sitting on one of the palm trees which rested on the ground, waiting rather impatiently for Lilo and Xion. Once he caught sight of them he ran off again. This was repeated a few times, with Stitch waiting for them to catch up while he sat on rocks, trees, or whatever happened to be nearby.

Eventually they came across something that had Xion stop dead in her tracks. Despite Lilo talking about "Jumba's spaceship" when they first began heading out this way, the sight of this thing still caught her completely off guard. The large ship was mainly red, though it had white streaks along the side and a white underbelly. Twin wings with turbines came out the sides near the tail, and landing gear just in front of the wings kept it propped up above the grass.

Stitch crawled along the underbelly of the ship, muttering something in his alien language. Xion moved closer to get a better look, but Lilo grabbed her hand. The little girl shook her head. "You're gonna wanna back up for this part."

"Ih." Stitch pressed a panel and a section of the ship was outlined by a rectangle of light. Jumping down onto the grass, Stitch curled up into a ball and rolled over to Lilo and Xion. As he did so, the rectangle part of the ship lowered down, providing a ramp to reach inside. "I show you now!" Stitch cried, running on all fours inside. Lilo grabbed Xion by the wrist and hurried in after him.

"Oh, wow." Xion said as she looked around at the inside of the craft. Everything was an off white color, with rounded walls. As she got a closer look at a sliding door, something went sailing past her head. Spinning on her heel, Xion saw Stitch digging through a simple wooden chest which stood out from everything else in this place.

He tossed a ukulele out behind him, which almost hit Xion in the shoulder before Lilo jumped up and caught it. A sparkling white suit, a book with a crying duckling on the cover, a yellow and red gun, and a drawing of Stitch colored in red all followed. Xion shook her head and looked over to Lilo.

"So, what's he doing?"

"I dunno." The girl replied, picking up everything as Stitch tossed them out of the chest. "Looking for something, I guess."

"Found it!" He exclaimed, cradling an object a little bigger than his hand close to his chest. Lilo seemed just as curious as Xion, moving in for a closer look. Xion was about to follow when one of the doors to her side opened up and someone new walked in.

"Ah, 626! I thought I was hearing you come in." He was large, round, and _purple_. Three hairs stuck out from his otherwise bald head, and four yellow eyes were on his face. A yellow and red flower print shirt strained to stay buttoned up. He turned from Stitch and looked over at Xion. "Little girl, do you have a new friend? Is she from your Earth school?"

Xion shook her head to snap out of the shock. This world was _weird._ "Um, I'm Xion." She held out a hand, but he didn't shake it.

"Pleasure is all ours. I am evil geni-er, _brilliant scientist_ Doctor Jumba Jookiba! Experiment 626 is creation of mine."

"Experiment?" Did he mean Stitch? "And this ship is yours?"

"Ehh… is long story." Stitch was tugging at Jumba's sleeve now, muttering something and waving the object from earlier in the air. Now that Xion got a closer look at it, it was star shaped but looked like it was pieced together from junk. Jumba seemed to recognize it. "Why, 626, I have not been seeing that in many years!"

"What is it?" Lilo looked over Stitch's shoulder.

"Fren circle!" Came the reply.

"Friend circle!" Jumba laughed. "Is little trinket based on boy Terra's from before coming to Earth."

_Terra._ Stitch had said something about him before, along with Ven and "Ah-koo wa"… Aqua, maybe? That fit the naming theme, at least.

"You mean Stitch met some people before me?" Lilo almost sounded disappointed.

"Ih! Terra, Ven, Ah-koo wa!" Stitch cradled the star before gently putting it back in the chest. "Jumba! Xion like them!" He went off from English into his native language again, Jumba interrupting his speeches with the occasional "No!" or "Really?" Xion and Lilo glanced at each other in confusion.

Jumba cleared his throat. "626 tells me you have weapon like that of boy Terra. Could you be showing me?"

The Keyblade? There were more who had it? Well, that certainly explained why Stitch kept staring at it back in town. "I don't see why not…" Xion held out her hand, concentrating as the Keyblade appeared in a flash of light. Stitch clapped wildly, and Jumba leaned in closer to inspect the black and white blade. "But could you all provide me some answers? I'm pretty lost on this 'experiment' stuff."

"Stitch is much more than an experiment!" Lilo declared, hugging the little blue thing. "Stitch is my Ohana, my family."

_Family._ Something about that struck Xion. She hadn't even considered people close to her might be thinking with her gone, if there even were any; she still couldn't remember. Well, there was Axel… but she had already figured he wasn't exactly out for her best interests.

Jumba sat down in a large chair and motioned for the others to sit as well. "It is long story, best to be getting comfortable."

**x-x-x**

"…stupid trees, stupid plants. Oof!" Pete tripped over yet another root. Grumbling, he slapped a mosquito that got too close to his neck. "And stupid bugs! This whole island is tryin' to kill me!"

He had tried following the Key girl and that blue thing, oh he certainly tried. But anyone would have had trouble keeping up with something that fast without being seen, let alone someone as big and ungraceful as Pete. Picking himself up from the ground, Pete grumbled some more as he wiped dirt from his legs. He had lost sight of the three of them about ten minutes ago and was now just wandering in what he hoped was their general direction.

Loud screeches rang out from above, and Pete looked up to see several Powerwilds swinging through the canopy. The Heartless had found something or other, following the screeching one up into the mountains. "Must be Maleficent callin' them." He realized, continuing through the jungle.

Pete finally broke into a clearing, finding something big and red standing before him. "A gummi ship?!" Bracing braced himself, expecting the boat-boy king to come out and attack at a moment's notice. But, no… the place was empty. Walking up to the ship, he placed a tentative hand on the surface. "This ain't a gummi ship… I've never seen nothing like this before." Voices echoed from inside, one of which was high-pitched laughter. Pete grinned. "Bingo."

Climbing up the landing gear onto one of the wings, Pete crawled toward one of the windows and glanced inside. Sure enough, the Key girl, the blue thing, and the little girl were all inside; and there was a fourth person, too. He was the one currently talking.

"…back up sewers, reverse street signs, and steal everybody's left shoe. He is bulletproof, fireproof, and can think faster than supercomputer. He can see in the dark and move objects three-thousand times his own size!" Pete leaned in closer, his interest picking up. Was this guy talking about the blue thing? "His only instinct: to _destroy _everything he touches!_ Hahahaha!_"

Pete grinned wildly. Oh, he could use this. Meanwhile the Key girl hesitated. "And… isn't that dangerous? Should Stitch be allowed in town in that case?"

"Stitch good now! Stitch fluffy!" The blue thing decreed.

Pete chuckled and turned away from the ship, he heard all he had needed. Maybe the little creature had control of his instincts, but instincts are always there; they never go away, and now he had the perfect plan. With a snap of his fingers, Heartless appeared behind Pete. "We got a job in town, see? And this time, I want to get some real collateral damage done! So here's the plan…"

**x-x-x**

Some time later, Xion was looking through Lilo's photo album when she heard it. Stitch reacted first, his ears perking up. "What is it?" She asked, but Stitch held up a paw as if to silence her. He crawled up the wall and stuck his head out the window.

"Nala huaa awazi." Xion simply raised an eyebrow in response, and Stitch groaned. "Uh… bad spirit!" He traced a heart shape in the air, then made an 'x' over it. Xion caught on fast.

"Heartless?!" Lilo and Jumba turned to look at the two as Xion stood up and called her Keyblade. "I need to get there quick, then!"

Stitch was way ahead of her, opening the ship's door and running down the ramp. He stopped at the grass and looked back. "Follow Stitch! Maka maka!"

Despite travelling quite a distance to reach Jumba's ship, the part of town that the Heartless were attacking was just through a few yards of trees. Emerging from the jungle, Xion and Stitch found themselves facing not just the Screwdivers from before, but blue monkey-like Heartless and black shadows with golden eyes as well. Stitch dived into the fight with his signature cackle, and Xion moved to a cluster of Shadows nearby.

The Shadows fell quick enough if she hit them, but the problem was hitting them. With every swing they flattened into the ground, moving around the street and not allowing Xion to get a hit in. For every Shadow she did destroy, two more would take its place. Yet, Xion noticed, they always swung through the ground in one general direction. Slowly but surely her own fight was moving further and further from Stitch's.

One of the Powerwilds jumped down from the nearby rooftops and swung at Xion with its claws. Parrying the hit, Xion knocked the Heartless off balance and it crashed into two Shadows. She fired a Pearl spell at the pair and spun on her heel. "Stitch!" But another Powerwild jumped in Xion's field of vision, blocking her sight of the little blue alien. It swiped at her, knocking Xion back and she tripped over a Shadow. The Powerwild and two others of its kind surrounded Xion.

"Aeroga!" Was her response, knocking the Heartless backwards and up into the air. With the Heartless momentarily stunned Xion spun in a circle, firing a stream of light blasts from her Keyblade as she did so. When the Heartless vanished, Xion took a moment to rest. She had moved farther away then she thought, around a corner in fact. How was-

_**CRASH**_

"Stitch!" Xion cried, running back to the street they had begun on. A Screwdiver had seemingly knocked Stitch into a sales cart, and now he shook himself from the rubble. Growling, Stitch leaped at the Screwdiver and tore its trident from its hands. Kicking the Heartless across the street, Stitch used the trident to vault into the sky and came crashing down on top of it. He grabbed a Powerwild by the tail and swung it around like a flail, hitting the Heartless nearby and sending them flying into buildings and stands.

An Aquatank came crashing down the street now, and Stitch crawled up the walls of a building with his stolen trident in hand. From the roof he used the trident to vault onto the Aquatank's back. Grabbing the antenna on its head like a joystick, Stitch directed its bouncing into the Heartless left, paying no mind to the property damage in the process.

"_His only instinct: to destroy everything he touches!"_

"Meega nala Kweesta!" Stitch cackled, crashing into a swarm of Shadows that were trying to flee.

"I didn't teach him that!" Xion glanced over her shoulder at Jumba and Lilo, who were approaching the scene with interest and horror, respectively. "626, what are you doing up there?"

"Stitch, stop destroying everything!"

Xion grimaced. "Jumba, you said destruction is in his instincts. I think the Heartless set this up to cause as much damage as possible and get those instincts to bubble up." But, they weren't supposed to be thinking creatures. So who…

Oh. Of course, there was someone who knew how to control Heartless, wasn't there?

Sure enough, a familiar voiced laughed loudly down the street. As Stitch crashed the Aquatank into the street one last time and it vanished, Pete appeared through the purple mist it left behind. "Well ain't you a smart little girl, pipsqueak! That's right, it was all part of the plan!"

"Why?!" Lilo was about to run toward Pete and no doubt would have started attacking him all on her own, but Xion grabbed her shoulder.

"Jumba, keep Lilo safe." She pointed the Keyblade at Pete… then at Stitch, who was growling on the ground as a black aura began surrounding his body.

"The little brat did a good job brightening Stitch up, for sure! But you know, darkness is in everyone's hearts, deep down…" Pete laughed. "And for someone who was created to destroy, maybe it ain't so deep down at all! My boy Stitch here will make a great powerful Heartless for Maleficent's army!"

Heartless caught Stitch's attention, and the aura faded for a moment. "W- what?"

Pete frowned and snapped his fingers. "Looks like I'm not quite done with the little guy yet." At first a dark corridor seemed to be appearing around Stitch, but the darkness grew and grew. A pink and blue Heartless manifested around Stitch, trapping him within its cage-like mouth. Stitch grabbed the "bars" and roared, his aura shifting from practically invisible to completely black. "This is 'bye, folks. Next time ya see little Stitch here he'll be part of the darkness!" Pete, the Parasite Cage, and Stitch all vanished into a corridor of darkness.

"STITCH!" Lilo cried out. "Where did he go?!"

"Lilo." The little girl looked up at Xion, who put a hand on her hair and smiled gently. "I'll get Stitch back. He's your Ohana, right? Your family."

"Y-Yeah…" Lilo wiped at the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. She couldn't cry. "And family means… nobody gets left behind."

"That's what I want to hear! Let's go."


	8. Nobody Gets Left Behind

**Chapter 8: Nobody Gets Left Behind**

"What happened here?"

Xion had been just about to rush off with Lilo when a deep, unfamiliar voice caught her attention. Behind her approached a tall bald man in a black suit. He pulled off his sunglasses for just a moment and looked around at the wrecked street, then put them back over his eyes and turned to the two girls. Jumba backed up, clearly not wanting to get involved.

"Cobra Bubbles!" Lilo exclaimed, in a mix of joy and sorrow. Xion almost tripped; this guy was named _Bubbles?_

Bubbles greeted Lilo with a smile and a pat on the head, but his focus was entirely on Xion. "I sure wasn't expecting to see a Keybearer here. This makes things more clear."

"You too? Does _everyone_ know about these things?" Xion replied. "Who are you?"

"Classified info. My codename is Bubbles, Cobra Bubbles. I'm the one they call when things go wrong." Behind his glasses his eyes narrowed. "And things look very wrong. Headquarters detected heavy darkness levels on the island, a code red. I came over as fast as I could. Frankly, I expected it to be one of this guy's experiments." He gestured to Jumba, who laughed nervously. "Seeing a Keyblade makes it clear, though: we're dealing with Heartless, aren't we? Where's 626?"

The trio fell silent, and Xion grimaced. Lilo looked like she was about to burst into tears. "They tapped into the darkness inside Stitch's heart and took him. We were just about to follow." Xion frowned. "Though, I'm not sure how to go about doing that…"

"I am thinking Experiment 158-" Jumba began, but Agent Bubbles shot him a glare. Jumba immediately quieted, crossing his arms with a grumble.

"We will not be activating any experiments here. And I can't let you take Lilo into danger, Keybearer."

Lilo tensed up, and Xion looked indecisive. "I agree with you, but at the same time-"

"I'm not leaving Stitch behind!" Lilo screamed, stomping her foot on the ground.

"-I think I'm figuring out how stubborn she can be." Xion said to Agent Bubbles, and he let out a sigh.

"This is not going to be easy to explain back at headquarters. Still, if anyone can snap 626 out of the darkness, it would be Lilo. Alright," He pulled out a small object that looked like a phone, and then looked up at a mountain. "Heavy darkness readings are coming from the direction of Mount Wai'ale'ale. The Heartless are gathering there for something, but I have no idea what. If Stitch is still on our world, that's where we'll find him."

**x-x-x**

The trek through the jungle was disturbingly safe, Xion thought, as she, Lilo, and Agent Bubbles made their way to the mountain. No Powerwilds dropped down from the canopy, no Shadows appeared from the ground, and no Aquatanks came barreling through the trees. Apparently Agent Bubbles was right: the Heartless were all much too focused on whatever – or _who_ever – was gathering them on the mountain to do any attacking.

As they reached a cliff face with a flowing waterfall, Xion hesitated. Her last attempt at mountain climbing had ended in a pretty painful electric shock and a terrifying fall, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to deal with that again. At any moment the Heartless could decide they were done up there and come down ready to fight.

"Xion, you coming?" Lilo's voice snapped Xion out of her thoughts, and she looked over to see the little girl and Agent Bubbles standing at the base of a pathway up the side of the cliff… a pathway with railings.

_Of _course_ this place would be a tourist attraction._ Xion mentally kicked herself; she wasn't going to have to do any real mountain climbing after all. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, that's all." Xion gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile as Agent Bubbles began hiking up the trail. Lilo put her hand in Xion's and led the older girl up behind him.

While no Heartless appeared on the hike either, it could hardly be called boring. Despite the tense situation, Xion did allow herself to look around at her surroundings during the climb. They were currently walking between the cliff face and the waterfall, the afternoon sunlight hitting the water and causing it to sparkle. As she wiped off some droplets of water from her cheek - waterfalls tended to spray water around like that – Xion smiled. Something about a cave behind a waterfall felt… nostalgic.

"_The waterfalls... They're echoing all the way here."_

Xion clutched her head at the brief memory. A cavern, a woman with brown hair, a man in a loincloth, and a shining… Keyhole. _Right,_ she realized. _I should find and seal this world's Keyhole once we're done._

"Xion, are you okay?" Lilo was looking up with the older girl with concern, while Agent Bubbles a few yards ahead of them glanced over his shoulder. Even in the dimness behind the waterfall he still wore his sunglasses.

Xion realized Lilo was looking at her hand, still clutching her head. She removed it and smiled, ruffling Lilo's hair. "I'm fine, it's just… a headache. I'm not used to hiking."

Agent Bubbles grunted. "We're almost there."

Sure enough, they soon emerged into a sight that left Xion dumfounded; even Lilo quieted and took it in. They were surrounded by sheer cliff faces all around, the rock of the mountain completely covered in jungle plants. A river weaved its way through the ground, fed by dozens – maybe hundreds - of shining silver waterfalls that came down from the cliffs. This place was absolutely breathtaking.

And something bright pink stood out like a sore thumb.

On the shore of the river was the Parasite Cage, with Pete not far away. He held something small and dark in his hands, but she couldn't tell what. And where was Stitch? His bright blue fur should have stood out almost as much as the Parasite Cage.

"I'll get the jump on Pete." She decided, taking a step forward. "Lilo, stay here. I don't want you getting caught up in the fight."

"But I don't see Stitch…"

"…Neither do I. But I won't let Pete get away before he tells me where Stitch is."

"Keybearer, wait one moment." Agent Bubbles looked over the area carefully, removing his sunglasses and squinting once or twice. "Except for that pink one, this place is empty. Where are all the Heartless?"

Xion hesitated. They _were_ suspiciously absent, weren't they? "Do you think this is a trap?"

"I honestly can't say. Everything that I've read says the Heartless act on instinct. That they don't plan."

"Maybe so. But that guy can plan, and he's controlling them."

"I've only read reports on them from the Galactic Federation. You're the one with experience." He frowned. "I'm just saying to be careful. I don't like seeing kids in danger."

"You didn't strike me as the child-liking type." Xion smiled. "Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for more Heartless, and you keep an eye on Lilo." With a wave goodbye, she jumped down from the small ledge they were standing on and disappeared into the greenery below. The whole place was deathly quiet, with only the sound of flowing water. Where were all the animals? Had they fled when the Heartless approached?

Xion braced herself when the Parasite Cage turned to face her, but the Heartless vanished instead of attacking. "What- Hey, wait!" She called out to it as the darkness faded away, but of course the thing didn't respond.

Pete did, though. He flinched and looked over his shoulder, a mixture of shock and fear on his face. That quickly gave way to a smug grin, and Pete turned to face her, still holding the dark thing in his hands. "So, you found me, eh? I'm not quite done yet, but I think we can manage!"

"Where's Stitch?" Xion glanced to the thing in Pete's hands and had a horrible feeling in her gut. Hopefully those suspicions weren't true. The thing shook a bit when Xion finished talking, and Pete let out a hearty guffaw.

"Why, right here of course!" He held his hand palm-up, giving Xion a good look. Her breath caught in her throat, and she was grateful that Lilo was too far back to make out any details.

The body was unmistakably Stitch's, with an extra set of arms and spines running down his back. The fur was blue but a much darker shade, almost black, with purple stripes. His eyes were still black, but there were hints of the telltale Heartless gold creeping around the edges.

"X-Xion..?" Xion's heart leaped at Stitch's voice. He stood up shaking his head and wincing.

There was no emblem on Stitch's chest. He wasn't a Heartless yet.

Pete growled and channeled darkness through his arm, out his hand, and into Stitch's body. The little creature screamed in pain, eyes tight shut. When he opened them again the gold in his eyes was more evident. Xion was running out of time.

Another laugh escaped Pete as Stitch jumped out of his hands and growled at Xion. "He ain't a Heartless just yet, but he's close. I hope you're ready, Key girl!"

"Stitch…" Xion's combat stance faltered. Could she really fight him? "Well, what about you?!" She fired a Pearl spell at Pete, who yelped in surprise as he was flung backwards into a boulder. At the same moment, Stitch's growling quieted and his eyes locked onto the light spell. When it had faded he shook his head and resumed taunting Xion.

"T-This wasn't part of the plan, pipsqueak!" Pete grabbed his head and vanished into a corridor, reappearing a moment later on a cliff up above. "I ain't fightin' you, no way! You should be focusin' on your little friend there!"

Xion grit her teeth and looked again to Stitch. There was still no emblem on the little guy, so she couldn't in good consciousness just consider him another Heartless. He had been totally focused on the Pearl a moment ago… was it because of the light? A thought clicked in Xion's head, and she gave a worried smile. Would that work? Only one way to find out.

Without warning, Stitch shot forward and roared, slamming hard into Xion. Digging her heels into the dirt to keep from falling back, she replied with a burst of light from the tip of the Keyblade. Stitch stared wide-eyed at it like before, a spark of consciousness in his eyes for the briefest of moments. A sitting duck, the light made contact with Stitch and knocked him onto the ground.

Maybe Xion was only seeing what she wanted to see, but Stitch's fur looked ever so slightly lighter as he stood up. He scrambled up a nearby banyan tree, jumping from branch to branch. Despite Xion's best attempts to keep an eye on him she did lose sight of Stitch for just a moment. And in that moment, sharp claws dug into Xion's back as he slammed into her from behind. Xion flipped the Keyblade into a reverse grip and slashed behind her, but Stitch had already jumped back up into the branches of the large tree. All the while Pete's mocking laughter came down from the cliff.

Xion's eyes narrowed when she located Stitch; his eyes narrowed in response, and he realized he had been found. He leaped from the branches to hit Xion in the chest this time, but she launched a Pearl spell that hit him dead on. The dark aura that had been a constant wavered for an instant when Stitch slammed into the tree trunk, sliding down to the ground with a groan. Xion took a step forward and aimed the Keyblade at Stitch, an orb of light beginning to form at the tip.

Stitch swung his legs out, tripping Xion up. She fell into the dirt with a cry and the Keyblade flew from her hand, landing blade-first some yards away. Stitch stood over Xion, flexing his claws and locking his eyes on her chest. This was it then: he was going to dig into her heart and-

"STIIITCH!" Chubby tan arms wrapped around Stitch from behind and he stopped. He didn't look back, he didn't say anything; he just completely froze up.

"L-Lilo?" Came the struggled reply after several tense moments.

"I'm here, Stitch. Please be good again… this isn't you."

Stitch roared, clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut. Lilo backed away, wide-eyed, while Xion got back to her feet and summoned the Keyblade back to her hand. She moved herself between Stitch and Lilo and looked back to Agent Bubbles.

"I thought I told you to keep an eye on her!"

"She's fast." Was his simple reply. He probably would have said more, but Stitch let out a horrible scream and fell to his knees. Xion pointed the Keyblade at him, but Lilo shouted "Wait!" and pulled it away from the older girl. The next instant, Stitch's aura faded and his normal coloration returned… only for him to collapse, completely still.

Nobody moved for what felt like forever.

Finally, Lilo stepped forward with watering eyes. "…Stitch..?" She kneeled down, but the little creature didn't react. It didn't look like he was even breathing. "Stitch!" Lilo cried, cradling him in her arms.

"Eugh…" Xion gasped as the body shivered. "L-Lilo? I… Stitch not…monster?"

"No, Stitch. You could never be a monster." The two hugged, but something else caught Xion's attention up above. Pete had completely vanished; she was starting to get the impression that he was all bark and no bite, leaving the moment things stop going his way. But that wasn't what she really noticed. No, what _really_ caught Xion's attention were the dark clouds beginning to form in the sky.

"Rain?" Agent Bubbles asked when he saw Xion looking at them.

"I don't think so. They don't look natural."

The device in Agent Bubbles' hand beeped loudly. Xion couldn't see exactly what he was reading, but he took off his sunglasses and his eyes widened, glancing between the clouds in the sky and the screen. "The Heartless…" He finally managed to spit out.

"They're still here? But Pete left."

"They were looking for it this whole time… _that's _why they came to the mountain, it's here!"

Xion had a sneaking suspicion of where this conversation was going. _Please be wrong._ "What's here?"

Agent Bubbles looked up once more at the swirling clouds, which were beginning to resemble a hurricane with an 'eye' in the center of them, then grabbed Xion's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. "Listen, you need to hurry – you and Stitch both. _Now._ I'll take Lilo back to town. You go find the Heartless _as_ _fast as you can_."

"What's going on?" Lilo's voice shook and Stitch tilted his head in confusion. Agent Bubbles didn't look back at her, his shoulders drooping. He kept his face to Xion.

"While we were busy here, the Heartless found our world's Keyhole."

Xion felt the blood drain out of her face as she paled. Images of another island being consumed by the darkness flashed through her mind. "This was a distraction?" Her voice was small, soft.

"I don't think so, no. But we're in real, serious danger now. Take your Keyblade and lock our Keyhole immediately." He looked up at the sky one last time. "I'd imagine it's under that hole in the clouds."

"Y-Yeah…probably..." Agent Bubbles was explaining something to the other two now. Not that Xion was listening, she felt like she was going to vomit. Things had gone so wrong so quickly.

The ground suddenly lurched beneath them, tossing everybody off balance. Agent Bubbles picked up Lilo and Stitch took the cue to jump on Xion's shoulder. "Go! Now!" He cried, running back the way they had come with Lilo held close. Stitch said something in his alien language and shuddered, then pointed forward. Xion nodded.

The wind picked up as they ran along the bank of the river. Trees and rocks tore out of the ground and flew this way and that, forcing Xion to always stay on her guard and knock any debris away with the Keyblade. Stitch's claws dug into her skin, but she barely noticed. Soon enough they reached the edge of the river, where it dropped into a lake down below. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of Heartless were there. And so was a figure she didn't recognize.

Casting Aero on herself, Xion slowly fell down to the lakeshore. Stitch growled at the swarms of Heartless, but they weren't making any moves. The unfamiliar figure – a woman, Xion now realized – gave a wicked smile to the two of them.

"You Keybearers have the most perfect sense of timing, don't you?" Her voice had an echo to it, and she scoffed when Xion's only reply was a glare. "But you're too late now. The Keyhole is within our grasp."

"Who are you?" Xion finally asked. "How do you and Pete control the Heartless?" The woman slowly tapped her fingers against her staff and gave that smile again. She turned away from Xion with a dramatic wave of her cape.

"The youth of today should learn the proper respect, I think." She said slowly. "I am Maleficent, my dear, and you should address me as such. And yes, _I_ control the Heartless. The powers of darkness obey me and me alone. Pete is but a bumbling lackey."

She'd heard that name before. "_Maleficent?_ But the fairies said-"

"What do those three know? Yes, I was vanquished, but surely they did not expect that to stop me. However…" She gave a slow chuckle. "I did lose much of my strength when the Door to Darkness closed and the Heartless were weakened, I will admit that. But now we shall take that power back, one world at a time. Slowly but surely, the hearts of the worlds will nourish my Heartless, until they are strong enough to take Kingdom Hearts for me!" As Maleficent finished speaking, green flames erupted out from her and knocked Stitch and Xion back into the lake.

"D-Dunga haga blabla!" Stitch cried, clinging to Xion tightly. She didn't have time to decipher what that meant, trying her best to swim back up while both fully clothed and holding onto a little alien koala-dog. Breaking the surface of the water, her black hair matted onto her face, Xion looked around for Maleficent. She was nowhere to be seen, but the Heartless were still there.

Something bright blue began shining, and Xion looked up as the waterfall that fed the lake split in two. The water parted to reveal the source of the glow – the Keyhole. The Heartless finally stirred, breaking out of their statue-like trance and moving forward. Xion summoned her Keyblade and pointed it forward…

…she didn't make it in time.

A Heartless dove into the Keyhole, and the blue glow quickly changed into a purple one. It felt like the entire world shook, then the wind grew stronger. Even larger trees and rocks broke off the ground and flew around them. Crevasses began forming in the earth. Far up above, a swirling globe of red, black, and purple formed in the sky.

"Lilo?!" Stitch cried out. Xion held him tight. She was too late.

Everything went black.

**x-x-x**

"Huh?"

Wiping a strand of hair from her face, she looked up at the sky with wide eyes. It lasted only for an instant, but a star had shined brightly… and then it was gone. There was just emptiness in that little corner of the sky.

"Again…"

Jumping down from her perch on a piece of construction equipment, black shoes met blue rock. Wiping dust off of her equally black sleeves, she hesitated and spared a glance back at the castle behind her. She really should go continue her mission, but at the same time, the star that went out…

"…Leon needs to hear about this."

Leaving the castle behind for the time being, she ran to town.

* * *

…_Surprise? This came about when I started to question the implications of just what Stitch was doing in Hollow Bastion in KH2. This is going to end up affecting Xion's primary motivation for world-hopping._

_And who's the woman at the end? Not an OC, I'll tell you that much._

_Also: Google pictures of Wai'ale'ale. Do it. I'm not usually one for jungle environments, but that is just beautiful._


	9. The Restoration Committee

_I'm really glad to hear Xion's lines sound right, since I am not and have never been a teenage girl. Thanks for the C+C, and I hope everyone continues reading._

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Restoration Committee**

Sora was not usually a moody person. Sure, he had his occasional moments of depression or brooding, but he always snapped back into his cheerful self pretty quickly. But Sora could tell that Donald and Goofy were concerned this time, and for good reason: the boy hadn't said much of anything to his friends for the last few hours. He spent the entire trip from Twilight Town to Hollow Bastion just thinking about everything that had been piled on the trio in the last day or two.

When they left, Sora had asked if Donald and Goofy for up for another adventure with enthusiasm. And it's not that he had faked that enthusiasm, he was always happy to travel around with his friends, but he had hoped that he and Riku would be headed home soon. After Mickey showed up but refused to say where Riku was… yeah. That hurt a bit. Pulling a familiar trinket out of his pocket, Sora ignored Goofy's worried glance over his shoulder and the way Donald frowned; his attention was locked on the star-shaped charm in his hands.

"_It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me."_

It had been a whole year since either of them saw Kairi- well, no, maybe not. Riku would have stopped by the islands at least sometimes… wouldn't he? Then again, if he had Kairi would have been there in Twilight Town when he woke up. There's no way she would have let Riku tell her what was going on and then just let him leave without her. So, a year without contact with either of them… Sora felt guilty, but he chuckled a little at the thought of having Wakka and Tidus replace Riku and Sora in Kairi's life. She'd go nuts hearing them talk about blitzball all the time.

The happy thoughts only lasted a moment as Sora recalled the information they'd gotten back at the mansion. That bandaged guy – DiZ, that was his name – had told them that the sleeping was because a group called Organization XIII stole his memories and half his power and stuck them inside someone else. Sora glanced over to see Goofy tapping the side of his head, apparently trying to remember if he had forgotten something.

Sora smiled; he had tried that already, as ridiculous as it seemed. Never hurt to brighten the mood.

Back to Organization XIII, though. Evidently his memories were all back to normal, since Sora didn't have any glaring holes in what he remembered. Besides, DiZ and Naminé would have told him if something was wrong there. Riku would have chastised Sora for being "too trusting", and maybe with DiZ that were true, but Naminé seemed really nice. But even if his memories were normal, what happened to the half of his power that was gone? Still held by the Organization, no doubt, though that brought into question how he got his memory back without the power. "Naminé did it" wasn't really much of an explanation.

"Gawrsh, look at that!" Goofy's voice broke Sora out from his thoughts. The tall dog was pointing out the window and motioning for Sora to join him.

Sora was not usually a moody person. Sure, he had his occasional moments of depression or brooding, but he always snapped back into his cheerful self pretty quickly. And as he looked out into Hollow Bastion, the dark mood had already lifted from his shoulders. Cranes and steel beams were all around that ominous castle, repairing it into something beautiful again. They flew over the Rising Falls and around the castle's side; Sora couldn't help but break into a huge smile at the sight of a town and people in this once dead world. Goofy was giving his signature laugh next to him, and even Donald in the driver's seat seemed pretty happy.

Donald landed the _Highwind _in a makeshift hangar he had spotted while flying around town, and the trio emerged into a newly built marketplace. Sora recognized a few faces from Traverse Town while other folks were completely stranger to him, but one that stood out from the rest was a blonde man walking by the accessories shop.

"Cloud!"

The man stopped when Sora called his name. It was kind of hard to recognize Cloud when his outfit was completely different – no billowing red cape or pitch black devil wing, for starters – but that hair stood out anywhere. Not that Sora was in any position to criticize someone's hairstyle.

"Oh, the kid from the Coliseum. Sora, right?"

"Yeah, long time no see!" Sora didn't comment on being called "the kid"; they hadn't really interacted all_ that _much. "What are you doing here?"

Cloud's eyes widened a little bit and he chuckled, which actually threw Sora off. The Cloud he met _never_ chuckled. Still, it had been a year. "I guess Leon never told you, huh? I'm from here, too. We're old… friends, I guess."

"Did you ever find that light you were looking for, Cloud?" Donald asked.

"Not quite. Just need a bit more luck, I think. She's out there somewhere."

"'She', huh?" Donald looked like he was about to pry Cloud for more information when another familiar voice called out over the marketplace.

"Hey Cloud, get over to Merlin's place! We're all just waiting on you- oh!" A girl about Sora's age rounded the corner around a nearby shop and stopped in her tracks. "Sora! Donald, Goofy! Long time no see!"

"Hey, Yuffie!" Sora called out. Donald and Goofy waved, while Cloud just gave her a nod.

"I had a feeling I'd see you guys pretty soon!" Yuffie smiled as she ran over to the group, and Sora noticed she was dressed in just as much black as Cloud. Must have been some new fashion trend in Hollow Bastion or something. "And it's perfect time too, the whole Traverse Town gang – and Cloud –" He have her a mock glare for that, and she stuck her tongue out in response. "- are meeting over at Merlin's house. Want to join us?"

"Sure, sounds good to me. You guys com…ing?" Cloud had already begun walking off before Sora finished, leaving him, Donald, Goofy, and Yuffie standing in front of the shop.

"He's brightening up, but he's still kinda moody." Yuffie shrugged. "Anyway, come on. Everyone will be so excited to see you again!" She led them up a flight of stairs, past a shop with a duck's beak on its roof (that made Donald stop for a moment), then down more stairs and into a recovering neighborhood. Half the houses were rebuilt, but the others were still ruined and some were reduced to nothing but their foundations. Yuffie opened the door to one of the larger ones and motioned for the others to go in.

"Presenting the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee!" Yuffie declared, sweeping her hand to show off the room. A gigantic computer against the wall was showing images Sora couldn't possibly make out, with Cid's attention divided between it and some argument with Merlin. Aerith and Cloud were talking in the corner about something (Goofy noted they seemed pretty close), and Leon was leaning against the wall as he was known to do.

"Well, I'll be." Cid said, turning around in his seat and resting his arms on the back of his chair. "And where did you kids run off to for the last year?"

"We were sleepin'." Goofy said, which just earned blank stares from everyone.

Sora decided to change the subject, since not even the three of them knew exactly what had happened. "So, uh… what's this about 'Radiant Garden'?"

"Our world's old name... its _real_ name." Leon stood up straight. "But I think it's gonna stay 'Hollow Bastion' until everything is back up and running again."

"Sorta like you and your name, huh Squall?" Yuffie asked playfully, but that just earned a glare from him. Sora couldn't tell if he was mocking one like Cloud had earlier or not.

"Anyway, Sora, I'm glad you guy showed up. There's something I want to show you," Leon motioned out to the front door. "Well, two things. Once we're done outside Cid should be done in here and I can show you the second."

"I dunno if I can promise finishin' soon, but I'll try." Cid said, turning back to the computer. "Ansem really didn't want anyone finding the castle's layout, that's for sure. Musta been hiding more than we realized."

"You're looking for a map of the castle?" Sora walked up to the screen to investigate it, but he still couldn't understand any of the data Cid was cycling through. "Well, we went through it. Can we help?"

Cid snorted. "Thanks, but you guys didn't explore all of it. We're looking for stuff down in the basement: Ansem's private study and the Heartless lab mentioned in his reports."

Leon waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. Even if Cid doesn't find the map, we have someone down there now searching the old fashioned way." He put a hand on Sora's shoulder and motioned to the door. "Outside, come on. This is important."

Sora and Leon were the only ones to head out. As Sora looked over his shoulder, he saw Goofy talking with Aerith and Donald with Merlin. _I should catch up with those two soon, too._

"Listen, Sora." Leon's voice tore his attention away from the house. They were walking toward a bailey as he spoke. "Have you guys seen anything weird while you've been adventuring around?"

"Weird like what, exactly?"

"I don't know, just anything out of the ordinary. Heartless acting strange, creatures that clearly aren't Heartless, or…" Leon trailed off as he looked out at the castle then pointed down to a ravine far below. "Or that."

Sora followed his finger to something he quite honestly didn't expect to see. Hundreds of Heartless were swarming around the castle, but they weren't alone. White shapes constantly clashed with the Heartless, in a fight that from this far above looked like a chaotic black and white sea.

"Nobodies fighting Heartless? What's going on?"

"Good, so you do know what these things are." Leon leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, continuing to look down at the war playing out below them. "This has been going on for a few days now and it's part of the reason we want Ansem's computer, to find out just what is happening." He locked eyes with the younger boy. "So, Sora. What are they?"

"They're called Nobodies; they're the leftover husks formed when a Heartless is born. We've only run into them once, so I can't really give you any pointers." He shook his head. "I don't know why they're fighting. I guess I assumed the Heartless and Nobodies would just ignore each other."

Leon's signature frown appeared on his face. "The Heartless have been pretty quiet this last year, actually. They didn't show up all too often, and when they did we could take care of them easily. But suddenly a couple days ago they're appearing in huge, organized swarms. To be honest it reminds me of when our world first fell."

"You think someone could be controlling them like Ansem and Maleficent did?"

"I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that the Nobodies looked like they were winning until just now." At Sora's confused look, Leon continued. "There was much more white and much less black when I checked on this just a few hours ago. Something happened very recently to give the Heartless a power boost, and it put the odds in their favor." If only he knew what that something was.

"Hey, Leon! I got some really bad news!"

The voice was unfamiliar to Sora, but Leon recognized it. They turned toward a canyon of Hollow Bastion's unique blue stone, where a woman with red hair and dressed in a black suit was running up to the bailey. She stopped and began panting heavily, hands on her knees, when she finally got to them. Leon raised an eyebrow.

"I was… I ran all the way… something just…" She stopped to catch her breath and glanced at Sora. She immediately stood up straight and held out her hand, which had a fingerless glove on. "Oh, so you're the Keybearer! It's nice to meet you, I'm-"

"Cissnei, weren't you supposed to be at the castle?"

The girl turned to Leon now, all previous flustered behavior gone. "I was, but you really need to hear about this. A world is gone." Both of them jumped in surprise, eyes widening. "I was at the restoration site when I saw a star flash brightly, and then it was just gone."

"That would certainly explain the sudden power boost the Heartless got…" Leon spoke more to himself than the other two. "Okay, we'll head back to Merlin's. Cissnei, I'm going to need you to explain this to all of us."

"I'll meet you back there, then."

As she turned and left, Sora looked up to Leon. "And who's she?"

"Oh, right." Leon began walking back as he spoke. "Cissnei was part of Radiant Garden's old intelligence division, though not even she had access to the castle. She's helping us find Ansem's study in case Cid can't get us that map."

**x-x-x**

Merlin's house was surrounded by noise after Cissnei delivered the news to everyone. Even Cloud and Leon were getting in on the chaos, arguing over what to do about this news that the Heartless were going at it again.

"Um, excuse me." Aerith spoke up, and everyone turned to her. "I think our first order of business should be to seal the Keyhole, shouldn't it? If the Heartless are swarming the worlds again?"

"Uh, didn't I do that already…?" Sora asked, and Aerith handed him a paper in response.

_**Report 5**_

_To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence._

_It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?_

Sora had read all of Ansem's Reports before, so he wasn't quite sure what Aerith was trying to point out… wait. "'The deepest part of the castle,'" he read out loud.

Aerith nodded. "The Final Keyhole that the Princesses opened wasn't our world's real Keyhole, it was an artificial one meant to open the Door to Darkness. Until the one in the deepest part of the castle is sealed, we are under risk of losing our home a second time."

Well, that just tossed the room into _more_ chaos as theories on where it could be or how to find it were tossed around. When Donald was finally able to shut everyone up with an ear-piercing "QUIET!" Cissnei spoke up.

"I would think that the Keyhole would be near Ansem's study and the Heartless generating machine." She saw Leon nodding; that made sense. Ansem would want to stay near something so important to his research. "We have a general idea of where they are, so I think a group should head down to the castle and begin looking around."

"Gawrsh, sounds like a good idea to me!" Goofy decided. "Of course Sora should go since he's got the Keyblade, and Donald and I aren't lettin' him charge into danger without us. But who else?"

"Cissnei, of course." Leon smirked at the look she gave him. "I know you've been down there looking for days, but come on. After all that searching you at least know where _not_ to look. And I'll be coming too."

Cloud looked like he was going to volunteer to come along, but Aerith started talking to him about "going away again" and he backed down. In the back of the room, Cid grumbled about wasting his time looking for the map if they weren't even going to use it.

**x-x-x**

The large rocks, as blue as the rest of Hollow Bastion's stone, floated silently in the air. Makeshift platforms that were probably once part of some grand pathway worthy of the entrance to a castle, now all that was left was a handful of ruins surrounded by waterfalls that flowed upwards. The Rising Falls were aptly named.

Riku didn't like this place; it had too many bad memories. But for some reason he always found himself coming back to it when he needed to think.

He sat on one of the smaller, higher up rocks. The black coat was currently set aside and he wore his usual clothes instead, though his blindfold was still on. It would always be on as long as Ansem was still there. Mickey had commented on the blindfold once, saying that "his eyes couldn't lie," but Riku wasn't sure exactly who he was even trying to lie to.

"I should have gone to see Sora…" He mumbled. He had made Mickey promise that day in the woods, but back then he had also intended on facing Roxas and couldn't bear the thought of seeing his friend after giving into the darkness again. After letting Ansem win. But, of course, Xion had thrown a wrench into that plan – not that he was really complaining. Though now he was beginning to wish he had gone with Mickey to meet the three at Twilight Town.

Speaking of Xion, where was she? He had looked everywhere but there wasn't even a sign. Maybe he needed to spread out the search more.

Riku still wasn't entirely sure about DiZ's plans with her. It was true Sora wasn't in top form and wouldn't be without the last bit, but she gave most of the power back and he was awake and healthy. Could he really end someone's life to get that last bit Sora needed?

"…But wasn't that what I was about to do with Roxas?"

It was true. Riku didn't have any problems when he thought he'd be fighting Roxas. But after spending time with Xion, Riku had started to wonder if maybe she was as much a person as him or Kairi or Sora. He had always told her it was her choice, and he had meant that. And deep down, that was probably the core of the problem: that now Xion's choice was being made for her. Riku was hunting her down under DiZ's orders.

Riku wrinkled his nose when the familiar stench of darkness suddenly spread throughout the area. While Hollow Bastion always had a lingering scent around it, this was much more present. He looked down to the large platform below – the one where he had confronted Beast, coincidentally – where a corridor of darkness was vanishing. Beneath the blindfold, Riku's eyes widened.

The unconscious girl was wearing completely unfamiliar clothing and clutching some strange blue creature to her chest, but there was no mistaking that face.

Xion had arrived in Hollow Bastion.


	10. Meeting

**Chapter 10: Meeting**

"Xion, you okay?"

"Huh?" Xion looked up to see her friend leaning closer, a hint of concern in his eyes.

"You zoned out for a minute there. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Xion mumbled, swinging her legs as they sat on the clock tower. She smirked after a moment. "Wait,_ you're_ concerned about _me_ zoning out? Look who's talking, Roxas!"

The two laughed, but Xion had to force it a little. She had been thinking about the dreams of the boy in red when she zoned out. Could she talk to Roxas about them? Xion wasn't sure, he'd probably think she was crazy. She was actually starting to wonder it too, since she never seemed to be included in her own dreams. Talk about weird.

"Hello, earth to Xion?" Roxas snapping his fingers in front of Xion's face brought her back to reality. The concern on his face was much clearer this time. "You did it again. Should I start collecting seashells in advance?" All humor faded from Roxas's face. "Really, be careful. Not just up here where you could doze off and fall, but in general. You only woke up from that coma a few days ago."

"Right..." Xion pulled up her knees, hugging them to her chest.

In an obvious attempt to make their discussion more lighthearted, Roxas started telling Xion about his latest mission. He said something about pirates and pixie dust, but Xion couldn't really bring herself to listen. The dreams she had during that coma kept flashing through her head.

While Roxas was explaining some embarrassing something-or-other Axel had done during the mission, flailing his hands around wildly to express his points, Xion stood up. Her best friend trailed off and looked at her in confusion. All Xion gave was a soft "Sorry, I'm tired," pulled up her hood, and walked off.

**x-x-x**

"Roxas?"

Xion sat up. Her whole body ached and her head was throbbing. The sound of rushing water was constantly in the background of this place - wherever this place was – and it wasn't helping. Xion's eyes narrowed as she realized what she had just said. Who was Roxas? She knew she had been dreaming, but already the details were slipping away as dreams tended to do. All that stood out was the boy with blonde hair.

Struggling to stand up, Xion took a glance at the area around her. The ground was a floating platform of blue stone, and there were others floating all over. She was in a valley with waterfalls all along the walls, though Xion could swear the water was running upwards.

A new sound broke the constant current of the waterfalls. Was someone… crying? Xion looked to her left, and her heart skipped a beat.

Stitch was on the edge of the stone platform they had landed on, staring up at the early morning sky. The ground beneath him was wet, and Xion had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't because of the waterfalls.

"L-Lilo…?" Stitch was quieter than Xion had ever heard him be.

With that one word, the last few hours came rushing back to Xion and hit her like a truck. Growing weak in the legs, she slid down to her knees. Lilo, Jumba, Agent Bubbles, and everybody else in that world… gone. They were all _gone_.

"Stitch, I…" She said quietly. His ears perked up and he turned to her.

"Xion! …Ohana is…" Stitch walked over slowly and sat down next to her. "Stitch's Ohana is gone…"

Xion just stared at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She scooped Stitch up in her arms and held him close. He struggled in surprise at first, but eventually put a comforting hand on Xion's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Stitch. I am so, so sorry…" Xion choked out between sobs. "This is all my fault."

**x-x-x**

Riku hesitated. He was planning to jump in and grab Xion before she had a chance to argue, but now she was crying about something to the little blue thing. No matter how much Riku strained his ears he couldn't pick up what Xion was saying

_If only I could get just a bit closer… _But then she'd notice him and run off all over again. Grimacing, Riku put his coat back on and pulled up the hood. Maybe if he just watched Xion for a bit, gave her a chance to calm down, then he could talk to her and convince her to return to Twilight Town. It was worth a shot.

As Xion and the blue creature finally began moving, Riku jumped from his stone to another nearby, trying his best to avoid making too much noise and being spotted. They were at the end of the Rising Falls now, and the beam of light that would carry the platform to them shot down from the castle. Xion jumped back in surprise and the little blue thing growled at it.

From this new vantage point, Riku heard Xion say "I think it's okay, Stitch." The blue thing stopped. So Stitch was its name.

While the two of them rode the platform up to the castle, Riku opened a Dark Corridor and teleported to the castle gates on a ledge overlooking the platform's dock. He still had some time to kill before the two of them arrived, so Riku began looking around at how the restoration had come in the last year. Construction equipment littered the castle, with cranes several stories high all over the walls. But what really caught Riku's attention was the swarm of Heartless and Nobodies fighting down below. No doubt Xion and Stitch saw them too; they were sailing right over them.

Riku did a double take when he saw a group of five at the base of the castle. The woman was unfamiliar and he only vaguely recognized the man, but there was no mistaking that boy with the spiky brown hair or the two next to him. The woman handed something to the other man – Leon, Riku thought his name was – and walked off. Leon, Sora, Donald, and Goofy then headed into the castle's lower levels while the woman stepped onto an elevator. Riku swore. She was probably heading up here, so now there'd be a third person he had to hide from. And what if she met Xion then introduced her to Sora?

…What _would_ happen if Xion and Sora met?

Xion and Stitch's platform docked as that thought entered Riku's head. DiZ probably wouldn't want that to happen, and Riku did have some concern about the idea, but on the other hand… maybe if they did come in contact Sora's lost power would "leak" from Xion into him and Riku wouldn't need to kidnap her… or maybe Xion would start absorbing Sora's power like she had Roxas's. Or nothing at all could happen. There really was no way to know.

The stench of darkness coated the air as Xion and Stitch looked around, and the shadows on the castle walls sprang to life. "Heartless!" Finding himself against a Wyvern Riku drew his sword, Soul Eater. He spared a glance down below, where Xion had summoned her Keyblade and was against two Morning Stars. "No time to focus on her for now!"

Though it was easier said than done, fighting without calling attention to himself. Riku rolled out of the way of the Wyvern's corkscrew dive and struck at its back with Soul Eater. The Wyvern spun around and slammed its wings into Riku's face. He stumbled back to the ledge and called on a Fire spell to blast the Heartless away from him.

"_Give in to the dark, Riku."_

The voice pierced his thoughts, and Riku glanced to see his hands shrouded in a blue flame instead of orange. _No! I'm… better than that! _Riku willed away the Dark Firaga, opting instead to dig his blade into the Wyvern's stomach as it soared overhead. The Heartless screeched and tumbled through the air, vanishing a second before it collided with Xion.

Riku pressed himself against the wall as Xion looked up in confusion. The last Morning Star was defeated by Stitch, who tossed it over the edge of the castle. The girl shrugged and shook her head when she didn't see anything, and Riku relaxed. This would be the perfect opportunity, jumping in before the woman in the elevator arrived and forcing Xion back to Twilight Town. But…

_DiZ won't like it, but I'll just keep watching for now._

Let Xion calm down from whatever it was that had shaken her and that Stitch creature, then talk to her.

**x-x-x**

She stared up at the walls of the strange castle, trying to find signs of… anything, really. _Why did a Heartless come falling down from there?_

"Xion?" Stitch's voice pulled Xion's attention away from the balcony.

"Sorry, Stitch. I thought I saw something… but I guess it was nothing." She kneeled down and patted him on the head. "Let's keep going."

A new sound made Xion stop mid-step, though. It kind of sounded like that weird platform they had taken up from the Rising Falls, actually. Was someone else using it? Xion looked behind her. No, it was still sitting completely still.

Stitch climbed up Xion and sat on her shoulder. He said something in his language and pointed to a beam of energy similar to the one their platform had ridden on, only this one was vertical. Xion spared a glance over the edge to see an elevator rising up from the ground far below and tightened her grip on the Keyblade. The person was wearing black, so was she with Axel?

The wind picked up at Xion's feet and swirled around the Keyblade. When the elevator arrived the woman's eyes widened in shock, but she only had a split second to react before Xion tossed the Keyblade in an Aero-boosted Strike Raid. She jumped off the elevator, over Xion, and landed right behind her. Before Xion knew what was going on, the pointed edge of a large red and silver shuriken was against her neck.

"Who are you and what was that about?" The woman asked. "You should know better than to attack a Turk."

Xion didn't reply. Instead, Stitch jumped onto the woman's arm. She stepped back, struggling against him while Xion recalled the Keyblade back to her hand. She spun around and hit the woman on the wrist with the flat of her blade, sending the shuriken flying where it clattered to the ground a few feet away,

"A black outfit and a familiar weapon," Xion said. "Are you with Axel? Because if you are, I'm not going anywhere!"

The woman glanced to her shuriken but didn't move to get it, since Stitch was currently holding his claws to her neck. "Axel? I don't know anyone named Axel." Her eyes fell on Xion's Keyblade. "…and if that's what I think it is, then it appears we've had a misunderstanding."

Xion's gaze moved to the Keyblade. In all honesty, she wasn't surprised at people knowing about it anymore. She didn't reply, but Stitch relaxed his claws.

"Call off your pet, and I promise I won't attack you."

"Stitch isn't a pet! He's a… friend, I guess..." _Were _they friends? Did Stitch even care for Xion after her screw up?

"Ih." Stitch removed his claws of his own volition and climbed down from his perch on the woman's shoulder. She rubbed her neck as she watched Stitch run over to Xion's side, and then nodded when she didn't find any scratches. But she didn't seem relieved or anything, her face was really hard to read.

The woman retrieved her shuriken and glanced to the two of them. "Okay, friend. Not pet. My mistake. Now, I see you have a Keyblade. How about introductions? I'm Cissnei." She held out her hand with a smile, and Xion raised an eyebrow. Was she really that forgiving, to try and make friends not even five minutes after being attacked? Cissnei's face was once again unreadable, that smile had an air of fakeness around it.

_She keeps things professional, I guess. Probably wants to throttle me on the inside. _Hesitantly, Xion took Cissnei's hand and shook it. "I'm Xion."

"Meega Stitch!"

"Xion and Stitch. How did you two get to this world? It's pretty obvious you're not native, but there haven't been many gummi ships flying around."

Xion looked down at her feet and Stitch's ears drooped. "I'm… not entirely sure how we got here, really. But the last world we were on…" How to go about this? "The Heartless came and- I did my best to fight them, I did! But Stitch got taken, and I didn't make it in time, and…"

A beeping sound interrupted Xion and she gave a silent sigh of relief. Cissnei pulled out a radio, apparently the thing that was doing the beeping.

"Leon, what is it?"

A man's voice came from the other end. "Cissnei, we found the way into the lower levels."

Cissnei's façade broke for an instant and she frowned. "Already? But I've been looking around this place forever!"

"You don't have a key that opens anything!" A new voice said, and Xion felt like she just got kicked in the chest. Something about that voice was eerily familiar, and it made her uncomfortable.

"No, I suppose not. Speaking of which…" Cissnei looked up at Xion. "Never mind, I'll keep it a surprise. I'll be down in a minute." She pocketed the radio and moved over to the elevator. "Okay, come with me."

"How do I know you're not working with Axel after all?" Xion asked, but she didn't really believe it. That boy's voice and the "key"…

"It sounds to me like you arrived here after a world was destroyed." Cissnei crossed her arms. "In that case, you could use help with the Heartless. You don't have to believe me, but I really don't know anybody named Axel. Let us help you, Xion."

Xion sighed and patted Stitch on the head when he gave her a concerned look. She really didn't have any better options.

The ride down the elevator was uneventful, but as a group of four came into view Xion had to keep herself from falling over in shock. The man, the duck, and the dog were vaguely familiar, but that boy! His blue eyes were _exactly_ the same as the blonde boy in her dream.

They all seemed equally shocked to see Xion, the duck saying something that sounded like "Is that…", though with his scratchy voice it was hard to tell. The boy stepped forward, putting his hands on Xion's shoulders and staring at her with wide eyes.

"Kairi?"


	11. Within the Castle

**Chapter 11: Within the Castle**

"_Look at me, Roxas. Who do you see?"_

Contact with the boy sent a shock through Xion, and images of a sunset and a clock tower flashed through her mind. Xion clutched her head and looked up to see him with a confused expression. He shook his head and sighed.

"Sorry, guess I mistook you for someone else. Your face, though…."

"You… know Kairi?" Xion asked.

"Wait, _you_ know Kairi?"

Xion nodded slowly, taking in just what she was looking at. The duck and man had narrowed their eyes, while the dog had covered his mouth in surprise. "I met her on an island not too long ago. Are you the boy she talked about?"

"Um, I guess so. My name is Sora, and you?" Sora's mouth moved into an 'o' shape as what Xion had said hit him. "Wait, she talked about me? What did she say? Was she mad I haven't come home?"

"Meega Stitch!" Stitched stood up on Xion's shoulder proudly, but lost his balance and tumbled to the ground. Xion giggled and helped him back up.

"I'm Xion, and uh… no, she wasn't mad." She seemed surprised, though, which confused Xion. Oh well, it was none of her business. "Kairi didn't say much, we didn't really talk for long. She told me about the Keyblade."

"Why would Kairi tell you that?" The brown-haired man asked crossing his arms. "It's not the kind of thing she should go telling just anyone."

Xion hesitated, flexing her fingers. She felt Cissnei nudge her. "Go on, these are friends." She said when Xion looked over her shoulder. With a nod, Xion held out her hand and focused. Black lightning manifested around her hands, and in a flash of light the familiar black and white blade formed in her hands. Sora and the three behind him jumped back in surprise.

"A Keyblade?!" The duck cried, pointing his feathered finger at it.

"Gawrsh, I thought only Sora and the King had those!"

"Cool!" Sora exclaimed, and Xion blinked in surprise. In his hand was another Keyblade, with a golden hand guard and silver blade. He held it up to compare the two. "This is the first one I've seen that isn't, well, key-shaped. Where'd you get it?"

"Um… I just, woke up with it. I don't remember where it came from."

The dog cleared his throat, and Sora and Xion looked up at him. "Where are our manners? We haven't introduced ourselves! Name's Goofy!"

"Donald Duck!" He held out a feathered hand, and Xion shook it with a smile. Already she was feeling close to them. If it weren't for the fact that these guys clearly didn't know her, she'd have thought they were friends from her forgotten memories.

"Leon." The man said. He motioned to the doorway behind him. "You guys go on ahead; I need to talk to Cissnei." Cissnei gave him an odd look, but crossed her arms and nodded.

"Alright, then let's talk. We'll catch up with you guys later."

"Okay, come on! Let's go find the Keyhole!" Sora grabbed Xion's wrist and motioned to the door where Goofy and Donald were already heading down a dim corridor. She nodded with a smile and the two kids ran after them.

Leon watched as Xion vanished from sight and turned to Cissnei, the look on his face betraying how he really felt despite the silence. The two of them stared at each other for a long while.

"You're mad." Cissnei said eventually.

Leon sighed and pressed two fingers to his forehead. "I'm not sure if I'm _mad_, really. But I don't understand how you could trust a girl we've never seen before so quickly."

"You saw her face. She looks just like Kairi."

"But that couldn't possibly be why. You've never met Kairi before, so how would you have noticed the resemblance before Sora pointed it out?" Cissnei flinched and Leon relaxed slightly. "Owning a Keyblade is a point in her favor, but we have to remember that Ansem had one, too. It's not an immediate sign of 'goodness.'"

Cissnei put a hand to her chin, thinking as she spoke. "There was… something suspicious, now that you mention it."

"I'm all ears."

"Xion attacked me when I encountered her. She thought I was with somebody named Axel, basing that off the black clothes." Cissnei looked up at the balcony where she and Xion had their short struggle. "It sounded like she was being chased by this Axel person."

"Axel…" Something about that name bugged Leon. He knew for a fact that he had never met a person named Axel in his life, but still… "A-X-E-L?"

"Huh?" Cissnei blinked in confusion. "…Oh, yeah. I guess it's spelled that way. I didn't exactly have time to ask, what with Stitch's claws on my neck and all."

"A-X-E-L… A-E-L…" Leon grimaced. He wasn't even sure what train of thought he was trying to follow. "Well, if she's being followed by someone, let's keep our eyes peeled. For all we know Xion could be some fugitive running from her world's police or something."

"She's like fifteen years old, Leon! I doubt she's a criminal." But despite her words, Cissnei nodded. "But, okay, yeah. I'll keep a lookout. Now let's go meet up with them." As the two entered the dim passage, Cissnei stopped mid-step. For an instant, she thought she saw a figure in a black coat behind them. But when she looked over her shoulder… nobody was there.

**x-x-x**

"Um, Sora… Are you sure we haven't met?" Xion asked the boy as they continued down the passage.

"Positive. Why do you ask?"

_Because your face is really familiar. It's freaky._ "Oh, no reason. You just seem really friendly to a stranger, is all…"

"Oh, Sora's always like that!" Donald said from in front of them, and beside him Goofy chuckled.

What had at first appeared to be a simple hallway down into Hollow Bastion's basement instead turned out to be a twisting maze. At every fork Goofy would mark a symbol on the wall of the path they had traveled - a mark made of three circles that looked like the keychain on Sora's Keyblade - to keep track of the way they had gone. Donald was constantly running his hand along the right wall, saying something about it being the key to finding your way out of a maze.

"This place is a lot nicer than the parts of the castle we saw last time." Sora commented as he looked at the pipes along the walls. "I guess the Heartless never came down here for some reason, even with the Keyhole around. Maybe Maleficent didn't want to destroy the world since it was her base."

"Maleficent?" Xion stopped and Stitch growled under his breath.

"Yeah, Maleficent was a witch who used to be here; she commanded the Heartless. But we took care of her!" Sora rounded a corner rather quickly and nearly collided with Leon and Cissnei. They look just as surprised as him. "This maze is so confusing."

"You were talking about Maleficent?" Leon asked, having evidently overheard them.

"Uh, yeah. Xion acted kinda funny when I mentioned her name. What was that about, anyway?"

"Ika Patootie!" Stitch shouted in anger and growled once more. Xion placed a comforting hand on his head, though she herself didn't look very comforted.

"You… said you took care of Maleficent? But then who was that we met in Stitch's world?" Well that caught everybody's attention, and all eyes were on Xion now. She laced her fingers together and thought about how to put this. "We met a woman controlling the Heartless who called herself Maleficent. She and a guy named Pete found the Keyhole and destroyed Stitch's home."

"Did you say Pete?!" Donald and Goofy looked at each other. "Gawrsh, you don't think…"

"It's gotta be a different guy!" Donald gave a firm nod. "And Maleficent is gone. We saw her die!"

"Could someone be stealing Maleficent's name?" Cissnei wondered. "Xion, what did she look like?"

"She was, um…"

"Tall and scary!" Stitch offered.

Xion laughed. "Yeah, 'tall and scary.' She had pale green skin and wore a black cape with a headdress like dragon horns."

"That sure sounds like Maleficent. But how?" Leon asked the question more to himself than to the others.

"Was she who you were running from when we met, Xion?" Cissnei asked.

"No, like I told you then, it was a man named Axel who was after me. He wore a black coat and had red hair." Leon stiffened up when she mentioned the hair color. "He sent these strange white creatures to attack me."

"White creatures and a black coat?!" Sora looked to Donald and Goofy, who both nodded. "That sounds like Organization XIII and the Nobodies. Why would they be after you?"

_Organization XIII… why does that name make me feel uneasy?_ Xion clutched at her heart.

"Yeah. Why?" Leon's voice was harsh and his eyes seemed to dig through Xion.

She met his gaze. "I don't know why. I can't remember anything before I woke up on the island where I met Kairi." _Leon's obviously suspicious of me… and maybe he _should_ be. I was wearing the same black coat as Axel… _"Um, so Sora, you know who they are?"

"You can explain as we walk." Leon said, continuing down the hall. "We still need to find Ansem's lab and the Keyhole."

"Uh, okay… Well, we met this guy named DiZ in a world called Twilight Town." Sora began, pulling out a small journal from his pocket and thanking a voice that spoke up. Xion blinked at what she swore was a tiny top hat poking out of Sora's pocket. "DiZ explained that when somebody with a strong heart becomes a Heartless, the empty shell left behind turns into something called a Nobody. A girl named Naminé gave us sketches, and this-" he flipped to a page in the journal with a sketch of a familiar white creature "-is what a Nobody looks like. Jiminy copied the sketches."

Xion's breath caught in her throat as she examined the picture in the tiny book. It looked exactly like the creatures from Destiny Islands. White jumpsuit body, zipper mouth, and all. "Dusks," she whispered.

"Huh?"

"This type of Nobody. Axel called it a Dusk."

"Oh, so there are different breeds, just like Heartless!" The little voice from Sora's pocket spoke up again, and Xion raised her eyebrow at the boy.

"That's Jiminy." He said with a smile. "Anyway, the strongest Nobodies look just like normal people. They gathered together in a group called Organization XIII and you can tell who they are by the black coats they wear. But even though they look human, they aren't; the Organization is made up of empty shells without hearts. They shouldn't exist."

_The people in the black coats shouldn't exist… _Xion had to struggle to hide the worry from her face. Why was _she_ wearing one of the coats, then? It was probably a good thing she didn't let that detail out into the open.

"So they're just monsters putting on a human face." Leon sounded troubled. "This Axel guy, for example, was a human at one point. But then he became a Heartless, and now his body is walking around with a will of his own?"

"That's the way DiZ put it, anyway. We already met one of the Organization members just before finding King Mickey- oh, yeah! Has there been any sign of Riku, Leon? Mickey wouldn't tell us anything."

"Sorry, haven't seen him."

Sora looked defeated, but the topic was dropped as they finally came to the end of the maze. A door was all that stood in the way between them and Ansem's study – and hopefully the Keyhole. "Moment of truth." Sora took a deep breath and turned the doorknob, opening it up with a creak. Decade-old dust fell from the old wooden door as the group made their way into the room.

The study was circular, with whiteboards covered in scratchy handwriting hanging all over the yellow walls. Bookcases were along the walls as well, though books were scattered across the floor as if they had been tossed around in a fight. A desk was in the center of the room, and as Leon and Cissnei made their way to start digging through its drawers Xion found herself looking at a painting of a man with silver hair and tan skin. Who…

"_Good tidings, friends. Today is a momentous day." A monotone voice echoed throughout the circular chamber. Twelve figures in black coats sat on the towering white thrones, all staring down at her on the floor in the center. "I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to wear the coat."_

_She stayed still, hood up, as he spoke. "Number fourteen…" That was her designation. Fourteen. Nothing more._

_Something – some_one_ – caught her attention. She glanced up, locking her gaze with a pair of bright blue eyes. Without knowing why, a faint smile formed on her face._

"_Let us all welcome one of the Keyblade's chosen."_

"That's Ansem." Sora's voice pulled Xion back to the present. "He was this world's ruler, but fell to the darkness. We beat him about a year ago."

"Ansem…" That didn't sound right. Whoever it was in her memory, he wasn't named Ansem.

Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy were flipping through books. "What exactly are we looking for?" Donald looked to Leon, who was reading through papers he had taken from the desk.

"Anything, I guess. I don't really know."

Goofy kneeled down and picked a book up from the ground. As he opened it up a paper slipped out from between the old pages. He gave it a quick glance and then waved it in the air. "Hey fellas, come look at this!"

Cissnei and Leon looked up while Xion, Sora, and Donald crowded around Goofy and read it from over his shoulder. Sora started reading the report out loud.

_My efforts these many years have come to fruition, with the world I govern having become a paradise worthy of being called "Radiant Garden."_

_Nurtured by the pure water that is the source of life, fragrant flowers bloom in abundance, and the people face each day with hopeful smiles._

_But where there is light, darkness also lurks. As noted in my earlier reports, I must solve the mystery of this "darkness of the heart." This paradise depends on it._

_I shall perform an experiment to probe the depths of a person's heart. One of my own apprentices, Xehanort, has volunteered to be a subject._

_The young man has served me ever since I nursed him back from death's door some years ago._

_He had lost all his memories at the time, but later showed remarkable intellectual curiosity and readily absorbed my teachings, gaining deep wisdom. Any mental immaturity is surely due to his young age._

_If I explore Xehanort's heart with psychological tests, I may be able to recall the past locked away within. My apprentice Even has also shown great interest in Xehanort's memories._

_But is he really the right subject? Xehanort does indeed exhibit extraordinary talents..._

_Too extraordinary..._

_Perhaps they are even superhuman._

Xion noticed a paperclip on the sheet, which Goofy still held, and pulled out the second paper it was keeping attached to the report. It was a photo of Ansem and two blonde men. The first had piercing green eyes and the second had a fatherly smile on his face. They must have been the two that Ansem mentioned.

"Xehanort and Even?" Donald crossed his arms. "Never heard of them."

Cissnei spoke without looking up from the papers she was searching through. "Even was the foremost scientist of the castle. He studied under the previous one to hold that position, Professor Hojo. I never met him, just heard about him." She said. "As for this Xehanort guy, there were rumors around Turks headquarters that Ansem had taken in some amnesiac he found the day after a bad storm. I never took them as more than just rumors."

"Hey Goofy, can I see that paper?" Leon asked.

"Why, of course ya can!" Goofy smiled and moved to deliver it to the man, but ever true to his name ended up tripping over some discarded object on the ground and slamming headfirst into the wall. As he stumbled back and rubbed his forehead, a section of the wall flashed white and then vanished. The group found themselves staring at a cold metal corridor which led into a gigantic laboratory.

"…Way to go, Goofy." Leon muttered.

* * *

_So 1.5 HD is out now! I don't have my hands on it yet, but I've watched a few of the remastered Days scenes. Very glad to hear Alyson Stoner as Xion again; I like Hayden Panettiere and all, but it's never cool when actors get replaced._


	12. Parting

**Chapter 12: Parting**

"What is this place?" Xion stepped onto the newly opened pathway and tried not to look down; it was one heck of a drop to the floor below, and she still wasn't over her near-death fall back on Forbidden Mountain.

"Ansem's laboratory…" Leon's voice almost sounded awed as he and the others joined Xion. He looked to the machinery in the gigantic room before them, a mess of giant tube-like objects sticking out of the wall. "I'm no expert, but if I had to guess I'd say that's the machine he used to make Emblem Heartless." Leon pressed a panel on the wall to their right and another door opened up. Stitch clapped his hands excitedly when he saw the large terminal against the wall of the room, and Leon stared him down. "This looks like the computer room. You guys can touch things, but be careful. Computers are delicate."

"Don't worry. While you're looking through there we'll search for the Keyhole!" Sora's reply deflated Stitch, and Xion rubbed him on the head with a soft smile.

"Come on, Stitch. We don't want a repeat of the last Keyhole, right?"

While they went off investigating the room, with Sora waving his Keyblade around and waiting for it to glow, Leon and Cissnei walked up to the keyboard facing a window that looked out into the Heartless generator. "It isn't asking for a password." Cissnei noted as Leon began searching for Ansem's research files.

"There isn't any dust, either." Leon frowned. "Somebody has been here recently and must have left the computer running." He opened a folder that contained only one file, something labeled 'Chambers of Repose/Waking.'

"That looks important. Have you ever heard of those?" Cissnei asked.

"Never. I don't suppose the Turks were ever aware of these chambers?" Leon sighed as Cissnei shook her head. "Okay, well, let's see what we've got here."

**ACCESS DENIED**

**TRON-JA-307020**

**Enter Password:_**

"That's weird." Cissnei looked at the large flashing red letters when Leon tried to open the file. "Let's try opening something else. Here, hand me the mouse for a second…" Opening another folder, she found a file labeled 'Even: Xehanort Memory Research.'

**ACCESS DENIED**

**TRON-JA-307020**

**Enter Password:_**

'Heartless Manufactory Blueprints'

**ACCESS DENIED**

**TRON-JA-307020**

**Enter Password:_**

'The Boy in White Armor'

**ACCESS DENIED**

**TRON-JA-307020**

**Enter Password:_**

Cissnei let out a loud sigh and Leon rubbed his forehead. "Did Ansem lock everything behind this security?" He grumbled out some gibberish and clicked a random file just sitting on the desktop; something about drowning goldfish.

**ACCESS DENIED**

**TRON-JA-307020**

**Enter Password:_**

"Got to hand it to this thing, it's a stubborn program. Cissnei, let's start looking for that password. We might find something in the study." Leon felt someone tap his shoulder, and he turned around to see Sora giving a defeated shrug.

"The Keyblade isn't reacting to anything in this room, Leon. There's no Keyhole here."

"Okay, uh… go check out the bottom floor, then. That door probably leads to a way down. Cissnei and I are going back to the study, come get us if anything comes up."

"Will do!" Sora waved after the two adults as they returned back the way they came and turned back to Donald and Goofy. Xion was currently trying to keep Stitch from messing with the terminal now that Leon had left it.

"Stitch smart! More than supercomputer!" He growled, struggling against Xion's grip.

"I also know you'd like nothing more than to break it, Stitch! Stop!"

But despite her best efforts, the little blue alien shot out of Xion's hands and landed on the keyboard. He gave a triumphant laugh and grew out his second set of arms, four hands typing furiously at the keys. The room through the window went red as the machine along the walls glowed brightly, springing to life.

"HEARTLESS MANUFACTORY ACTIVATED." A computerized voice echoed throughout the room.

"Oops."

"This way, hurry!" Donald pointed down the path that led to an elevator. "We gotta get down there!"

"Stitch, shut that thing off!" Xion shouted as she ran with the other three.

Stitch shouted something back in his own language, frantically tapped at the keys more, and growled. "Choota. Too late!" He looked through the window, where a large orb of darkness was forming in the air. He turned down to view the floor, where Donald and Goofy were the first to arrive with Sora and Xion only seconds behind them. The orb vanished and six pieces of purple metal crashed to the ground. Stitch wanted to go help them, but he had to shut this thing off before even more Heartless appeared.

Sora backed up as the metal sprung to life and organized itself into a familiar shape: a Guard Armor.

"It's the same Heartless from the day we met!" Goofy pointed out as he readied his shield, even laughing a little. "Gawrsh, this won't be too bad as long as Stitch makes sure no more pop out."

"Xion, you have any experience fighting?" Sora asked.

"Yeah."

"Then let's do th-agh!" One of the clawed gauntlets shot out with its fingers curled into a fist and smashed into Sora, sending him flying against the wall. A timely Aero spell from Xion cushioned his crash, and Sora slid to the floor with a soft _thump_. "Okay, guess it's impatient."

After handing Sora a potion, Donald and Goofy charged at the Guard Armor. Goofy's shield repelled the swinging claws, stunning the Heartless just long enough for Donald to cast a fire spell. The red-hot gauntlet fled as its partner slammed into Donald's side and he crashed into Xion. "Hey, stay out of the way!" Donald shouted, his temper flaring in the heart of combat.

Xion mumbled an apology and stood up while turning to Sora, who blocked a kick from the Guard Armor's left foot. She hurled her Keyblade at the right foot and boosted it with wind magic, directing the Keyblade to strike at the Heartless multiple times. Sora's eyes widened in surprise as the black and white blade flew past him, and he turned to give Xion a smile.

It unnerved her more than making her happy. That smile was way too familiar.

"Xion, look out!" Sora's warning came just in time. Xion rolled out of the way as the gauntlet that Donald had attacked earlier swung at her. She could still feel the heat of the fire spell radiating from its metal surface.

"Sora, use ice magic!" Donald cried even as a spark of fire began burning on the tip of his staff.

"You got it!" The two opposite spells made contact at the same time, the rapid heating and cooling of the metal causing it to crack. Xion, currently closest of the four to the gauntlet in question, returned her Keyblade to her hand and thrust it into one of the cracks. The first piece of the Guard Armor vanished.

Goofy reflected the blow of one of the feet and knocked it back into the other one. The Guard Armor wobbled slightly to steady itself, giving Sora and Xion the opening to strike at its other hand. Xion parried the fingers when they nearly pierced her and Sora jumped up from behind her, stabbing down and straight through the palm.

Two down.

The feet began stomping around now, sending shockwaves along the floor, as the Guard Armor's torso started to spin like a top. The spinning torso crashed into Xion just as she cast a Pearl spell at it, the two of them flying in opposite directions. Xion crashed onto the floor before she could save herself with Aero as she had with Sora before. Everything went black when her head slammed into the hard floor.

It felt like only a moment later when Donald's voice called out "Heal!" and her vision turned green. Xion got up just in time to dodge the Guard Armor's torso hurtling towards her. Rolling to the side and giving the room a quick glance, Xion saw Goofy toss his shield to finish off one of the Guard Armor's feet; she couldn't see the other one.

"Sorry I didn't heal you sooner, I was getting knocked all over!" Donald said, reaching into one of the pockets on his jacket and pulling out an ether. He drank it down with a smile and cast another Cure spell on Xion. "There's just the torso left now."

"Look out!" Xion and Donald looked at each other for just an instant and jumped apart. Goofy's warning saved them from the Guard Armor spinning right into them.

"We got to stop its spin!" Sora called from the opposite wall before he too jumped out of the way of the Heartless.

"An opposite spin should do the trick." Donald held up his staff. "Xion, I saw you use wind magic, come with me!"

Xion met the tip of his staff with the tip of her Keyblade. Wind circle around the two of them, focused on their two weapons, and they fired it forward. "Aeroga!" They called in unison. A tornado, spinning in the reverse direction the Guard Armor was, crashed right into the Heartless and halted its movement. Xion and Sora charged at it from opposite sides of the room, slashing their Keyblades across its backside and chest respectively. The Guard Armor shone brightly for a moment and then exploded, a glowing pink heart vanishing into the air.

A few tense moments passed before Xion found herself laughing. "What a rush! We make a good team."

"Sure do!" Sora replied with a smile. "Hey, after we finish up here and head for other worlds, would you like to come with us?"

The question caught Xion off guard. She hadn't really had any plans. Looking for Stitch's ohana, assuming they were out there, would probably be number one on her list. And surely these three had a more reliable way to get around than a Star Shard? "I…"

"The Keyblade… a truly marvelous weapon. Were it only in more… capable hands."

Xion froze up at the voice that echoed throughout the room. While Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked around to try and find where it came from, her mind flashed back to the painting of Ansem upstairs.

_I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to wear the coat._

Was she imagining it? No, it was the same. The voice in the memory sparked by that painting was _exactly_ the same as the voice Xion had just heard. She broke into a run upstairs, past Stitch, past a surprised Cissnei and Leon, through the maze and out to the base of the castle. She didn't really notice that they had all followed closely behind her.

"Xion?" Stitch asked, running up to her. He placed a hand on her leg. She was shaking, and she was starting to have a sneaking suspicion why.

A man in a black coat suddenly appeared in front of the group. There was no dark corridor, no grand entrance; there was nothing one moment and then him the next. Xion heard everyone behind her draw their weapons at the man's appearance, but found herself shaking too much to do the same. This man scared her. She didn't know why – she couldn't even recall his face – but Xion was _terrified_ of him.

"Organization XIII!" Sora stepped up to Xion's side. "What do you want?"

The man said nothing in reply but raised his arms instead. Six corridors of darkness appeared behind him and six more men in black coats stepped out. Unlike the man in the center, their hoods were all down. Xion recognized the redhead standing furthest to the left, and for the briefest of moments Axel's eyes met hers. His gaze actually widened, but not at Xion; it was at something behind her.

"I didn't want to believe it." Leon's voice was barely above a whisper.

"You gonna answer me?!" Sora asked, pointing his Keyblade at the hooded man in the middle. "What is it you guys are after?"

"What is it with you Keyblade wielders and that angry look?" A man with an eye patch standing just to the right of the man in the hood laughed. "And if it isn't little Poppet! How have you been doing?"

"Poppet?" Xion's confused reply just earned another laugh from the man. She could just _feel_ the suspicious looks everyone behind her was no doubt giving. She spared a glance beside her, where Sora looked just as confused.

"It is a pleasure to see you again," the hooded man said, "number fourteen." Silence. Xion could tell he purposefully held the pause, to let the words seep in and make her squirm.

It was working.

"We would all greatly appreciate you returning to the castle, Xion. We are behind schedule as it is."

"What are you talking about?" Sora and Xion both said it at the same time, but with wildly different tones. Xion was quiet, Sora was demanding.

"Ohh, has Poppet forgotten?" The eye patch man's question was obviously just meant to be taunting. His tone made it clear he already knew that.

"Why don't you all start making sense?" Sora took a step forward, putting himself in the front instead of Xion. She was still too frightened to appreciate the gesture.

"Your new little friend there isn't what she appears to be, buddy!"

The leader held up a hand to silence the him. "Xion, it is time for you to return to us. Our puppet has wandered too far from the nest."

"A-a puppet?" Xion's voice wavered. "I'm not…"

"Ha, you really thought you were a normal person? As if! Let old Xigbar fill you in. In fact, let's fill all your new pals in, too!" He stepped forward, ignoring Sora's death glare or the way everyone else took a step toward him and got ready to attack at a moment's notice. "You, Poppet, are nothing; less than nothing, even. You don't even count as a Nobody. You're a replica, a _clone_, of someone else." From this close, Xion noticed his one good eye glance to Sora when he said that last part. "And if we can't have the power of that 'someone else', then you'll just have to do."

"What is it that you're saying?" Sora asked, but Xion could see even he was beginning to connect the dots.

Xigbar shook his head. "Man, you're dense. Reminds me of him. What I'm trying to get through your thick head, key boy, is that Xion here is one of us. She's Organization through and through."

Despite the suspicions she had been holding, hearing an actual confirmation made Xion feel like she got run over. Suddenly very lightheaded, she found it very hard to focus.

"What? Xion, tell me he's not serious." Sora took her wrist. "I thought we were getting along so well. Have you been lying to us? I thought… but if you're with them…"

"Hey, maybe she's been faking the amnesia thing this whole time. Who knows?"

"Just shut up!" Xion yelled, stunning everyone including Xigbar. She pulled away from Sora's grip and ran away. She hesitated when Stitch called after her with alarm in his voice, but even that hesitation lasted only for an instant.

"Heh, looks like my job here is done." Xigbar smiled and vanished, the rest of the Organization following him.

"Xion, wait! Come back!" Sora moved to follow her, but a black sleeve moved in front of his chest. Sora found himself staring into the yellow eyes of a man with blue hair and an x-shaped scar across his face.

"Don't worry, we will ensure she receives the maximum punishment. The Organization does not accept resignations."

**x-x-x**

Xion didn't know where she was running, and she didn't really care. She just wanted to get away from everything. _I'm less than nothing? I'm just a copy of somebody else?_

Tears blurred Xion's vision when she finally came to a stop. Blinking to get a clearer picture, Xion found herself in the middle of a vast ravine carved out of Hollow Bastion's blue stone. And she wasn't alone.

"Are you gonna come along peacefully this time?" Axel's voice was soft. Xion didn't respond. "…Look, about what Xigbar said back there-"

"I know he was telling the truth. I… can't remember most of my life, but there are flashes of memory."

"So will you come home with me, Xion?"

"No. I won't. I'm sorry, Axel." She sighed. "I remember… a boy. A boy who left the Organization to find answers. And I need answers, I need an _identity_. I can't go back. Not just for me, but for him too."

"I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that." Xion looked up to see Axel holding his chakrams. "The more time you spend with Sora, the higher the chances that you won't be you anymore. I promised you I'd always be there to bring you back, and damn it, that's what I'm going to do!"

Axel swung his weapons forward and Xion braced for impact… then nothing came. She opened her eyes to find herself being swallowed up by the darkness. Someone had opened up a corridor of darkness right beneath her.

"What?!" Axel fought to keep the corridor open and follow, but it collapsed with Xion gone. He whirled around and spotted another figure in the black coat on a cliff up above. "Hey, what's the big idea?! Pull down the hood so I can see your face! Why just let Xion go?!"

"…I'm not really sure, myself."

The voice was not what Axel had expected. He had thought Xigbar, or maybe Luxord, had been messing with him. But this guy was completely unfamiliar. "Who are you?"

He ignored Axel's question. "Maybe she has it… strength to protect what matters."

**x-x-x**

"Where am I now?" Xion glanced around at the crystal walls of this cavern. The corridor had spit her out somewhere unfamiliar, but judging by the blue rock it was still Hollow Bastion.

"Xion!" A familiar blue ball jumped into Xion's arms and hugged her tightly.

"Stitch, how did you find me…?"

"Xion, Stitch go with you! We ohana, and ohana means-"

"Nobody gets left behind, I know. But, Stitch… you heard what happened back there. I think… it'd be better if you stayed here."

"What?!"

"Leon, Cissnei, and the others are all good people. I'm sure they'll take care of you. I'm… not someone you should be hanging around." She set Stitch down and pulled out the Star Shard. "But… don't worry, Stitch. I promise you that while I'm out there, among the worlds, I _will_ find Lilo."

**x-x-x**

"I can't believe it…" Sora sighed as he sat at the table at Merlin's house, staring into the cup of hot chocolate Aerith had brought him. "Xion was with Organization XIII this whole time…"

"She seemed to be pretty confused; maybe she lost her memory after all." Goofy said.

"Maybe…"

"I'm sure we'll find Xion again. Then we can get her side of the story." Donald was sitting on a chair against the wall. "And we should probably be going soon, with both the Organization and Maleficent out there."

"We never found the Keyhole, though."

"Let us worry about that." Leon's voice was low, he seemed broodier than usual. "We'll contact you guys once we're sure we've found it. Or when we find Ansem's password, whichever comes first."

Cissnei smiled. "Until then, go out and fight the good fight… and don't worry about Xion. Donald's right, you'll meet her again."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood up. "Okay, then. I guess we'll be on our way."

* * *

_If you guys haven't already, you should check out the _Antipode_ series by MegaFlameHedge. Some of the best writing I've read in the Kingdom Hearts section. Returning the favor for this story getting recommended in the latest _Antipode_ chapter :)_


	13. An Arabian Night

**Chapter 13: An Arabian Night**

Xigbar stood on the edge of Hollow Bastion, looking out over the town. "Talk about a blast from the past. They've sure done a good job getting this place up and running again. Almost makes me nostalgic."

"Xigbar." A deep voice spoke up behind him and Xigbar turned around.

"Well hey, Xaldin. Come to reminisce with me?"

The muscular man crossed his arms. "Why did you allow Xion to run off like that?"

"Axel's the one assigned to tighten Xion's leash, not me. My job is just making sure she stays locked up once he's done." Xigbar shrugged. "Besides, it was fun."

"'Fun?'" Xaldin sneered.

"Yeah, you oughta try it some time, big guy. Anyway, I figured as long as Xion is on the run why not keep her away from Sora? That way they go after Heartless separately, and we get twice as many hearts." Another shrug. "Not that I gotta answer to you. Shouldn't you be heading off to your assignment in… where was it?"

"Agrabah."

"Ha! Sucks to be you, man. I sure don't wanna go back there. Well, adios." When Xaldin didn't move, Xigbar narrowed his eyes. "Look, you think I don't know what I'm doing? As if. The plan's all up here," he tapped the side of his head "so don't worry that pretty little braided head of yours." Xigbar waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Now leave me alone, will ya? I'm waiting for someone."

Xaldin's sneer deepened, but he said nothing and vanished into a corridor.

**x-x-x**

The Star Shard's blinding white light faded, leaving Xion blinking to adjust her vision. Not that it was much of a change, really, because the ocean of sand before her was bright and frankly kind of painful on the eyes.

"Where am I?" Xion looked all around her, but all she could see was sand, sand, and more sand… wait. Off in the distance there was a something gold and pointy; maybe a building or something. It was certainly man-made, that much was clear. With the mystery golden thing her point of reference, Xion set off across the desert.

However, whether it was because her goal was further than it looked or because she was more tired than she realized, it was slow going as Xion made her away across the sand. Come sunset the heat and dryness finally got to Xion, and she fell down to her knees in the sand. "Water would be really nice right about now…"

A soft patting sound behind her caught Xion's attention. She looked up to see a figure approaching on the horizon. As he came into view it became apparent he was a short little man riding on the back of a camel. He was singing some tune she couldn't make out in time with the camel's footsteps and hadn't seemed to notice Xion yet. The closer he got, the clearer his words became.

"_Arabian nights, like Arabian days,  
__More often than not, are hotter than hot,  
__In a lot of good ways!_

_"Arabian nights, 'neath Arabian moons,  
__A fool off his guard could fall and fall hard,  
__Out there on the dunes…"_

"Excuse me?" Xion called out to the man, her voice hoarse from lack of water. The camel seemed to notice before he did, stopping in its tracks and looking back.

"What? Why are you stopping?" The man poked the back of the camel's head but got no response. He turned to look in the same direction his mount was and finally took note of Xion. "Oh my, oh my!" The man jumped onto the ground, pulled a bottle out of a pack, and rushed over. "Are you well, friend? Drink up, drink up!" He handed Xion the bottle.

Water was just what she needed, and Xion drank it gratefully. "Thanks." She mumbled. "I was headed over there-" she pointed to the golden object in the distance, "but I guess I wasn't prepared."

"I should say not! Rule one of travelling the desert, my friend: always bring along water!" He clapped his hands together with a smile. "Now, as fate would have it, the two of us are heading in the same direction. Would you care to accompany me, miss…?"

"Xion. And thank you, that would be great." At the man's insistence she climbed atop his camel behind him. After making sure everything was secured he pulled on the reins and the camel began moving again. Not ten minutes passed before he began humming a tune.

"Have you ever been to Agrabah, friend?" The man asked.

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Well it is a sight to behold! If you will indulge me for a moment…"

"_Follow me, to a place, where incredible feats,  
__Are routine every hour or so…  
__Where enchantment runs rampant, yes wild in the streets.  
__Open Sesame… Here we go!_

"_Arabian nights, like Arabian days,  
__They tease and excite, take off and take flight.  
__They shock and amaze!_

"_Arabian nights, like Arabian days,  
__More often than not, are hotter than hot,  
__In a lot of good ways."_

"_Pack your shield, pack your sword__, __  
__You won't ever get bored__, __  
__Though get beaten or gored you might__.__  
__Come on down, stop on by__, __  
__Hop a carpet and fly__, __  
__To another Arabian night!"_

Xion had to admit the tune was catchy. She was growing to like this man. As the camel rose over a large dune just what the golden point was came into view: the top of a large and majestic palace glistening in the moonlight. A city surrounded it for miles around, the walls looked gigantic as they approached the gates. The camel stopped in front of a small shop in the streets and collapsed. The little man slid off and Xion followed suit.

"There. Welcome to Agrabah. City of mystery, of enchantment...and the finest merchandise this side of the river Jordan, on sale today, come on down! Heh, heh." He smiled a big, toothy grin.

"You're a salesman?" Great, now she probably would have to buy something in thanks for saving her.

"I can see that you're only interested in the exceptionally rare. I think then, you would be most rewarded to consider...this." From out of his sleeve the peddler pulled out a black oil lamp, covered in sand. Why hadn't he rubbed that off? "Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts. This is no ordinary lamp! It once changed the course of a young man's life. A young man who, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed: a diamond in the rough. Perhaps you would like to hear the tale?"

"Thanks, but not right now. But… I am looking for someone. Maybe you've seen her?"

"By all means, ask away! And while you ask, perhaps you would like to take a look at this fine jewelry, hm? It would match your eyes, my friend!"

That _was_ a nice looking necklace, actually. "A little girl wearing a red dress decorated with a white leaf design. Her name is Lilo. Does that ring any bells?"

The peddler stroked his small beard in thought. "I cannot say. Perhaps my memory would jog with the right motivation?"

"Sorry, I don't have any munny." Xion said with a sigh, and the peddler's eyes grew so wide they threatened to pop out of his head. She held up a hand before he could speak. "Thanks for the help; I guess I'll go ask out around town." As Xion walked away he began pitching items "at a discount," but the small man's voice was carried away by the night breeze.

Xion found her way out of the bazaar and into what she could only assume was a residential district, with the way the buildings all had locks on the doors and curtains covering the windows. No one was out, not that it was much of a surprise at night.

"It's so good to see you guys again. Where have you all been the last year?"

Xion jumped at the voice, not having expected anyone to be out this late. She was about to go around and ask the stranger if he had ever heard of Lilo when a more familiar voice spoke up.

"Oh, you know, here and there. We took care of the guy who was kidnapping all those princesses... oh yeah, did Jasmine make it home safe?"

_Sora?_ Well there went that plan. Could Xion really deal with him after what had just happened?

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy. There was a meteor shower, the sky filled with stars, and then Jasmine just showed up out of nowhere." A chuckle. "And not to toot my own horn or anything, but the sultan named me his new vizier to replace Jafar after I brought her home!"

"Gawrsh, that sure is good to hear, Aladdin!" Goofy said.

"Yeah, we're all happy for you! But, hey, have you seen anybody in a black coat stalking around?"

As Sora began questioning this Aladdin guy about Organization XIII, Xion turned back the way she came. "Sooner or later I'll have to talk to him, I think…" She said softly. "Just… not now."

"Oh, tell me about it. Psyching yourself up for this kind of thing is the worst!"

"Huh?" Xion looked this way and that for the new voice, but there was nobody in the streets besides some bird sitting up on a rooftop.

"Yeah, up here, lady. I'm talkin' to you!"

_Wait a minute… the _bird_ is the one talking?_ Xion's disbelief must have been written on her face, because with a squawk that sounded way too much like a sigh the bird lifted from his perch and flew right up to her.

"What, you been living under a rock? Everyone knows about Iago, the palace's talking – and handsome, might I add - parrot!" He landed on Xion's shoulder and gave a dangerous-looking smile. "So, I see you're nervous about talkin' to that Aladdin too, huh? What did you do?"

"No, not him; Sora, the one with brown hair."

"What, the key kid? Lady, do I feel sorry for you, getting on _his_ bad side! My old boss, Jafar- eh, never mind; that's all said and done. From here on in, I'm lookin' out for me."

Xion had a feeling she was going to regret this. "What happened, exactly?"

Iago sighed. "Oh, I did some pretty horrible things to that street ra- er, I mean, young man that I'm not proud of. I want to work up the courage to talk to him and apologize but, oh you know how it is!"

_Yeah, I can sympathize with that… _"What if I helped you? I could bring you to Aladdin and get the ball rolling."

"You'd do that? You barely know me!"

"We have a bit in common. Just…" She looked back down the street, where Aladdin and Sora's group were still talking. "I'd like to wait until they're not around. I'm not quite ready for my confrontation like you are."

"Lady, that's fine with me! We can head to the palace and talk to Aladdin and Princess Jasmine in the morning!"

…Palace? Princess?! _What have I gotten myself into?_

**x-x-x  
**

"Well tomorrow's a sale, so I'd better go home and rest." The peddler dusted off his wares, counted the munny he earned selling to the caravan out in the desert, and moved to lock up the shop.

"Oh of course, I am forgetting one thing…"

The lamp. The peddler could tell that mysterious Xion girl hadn't believed him about how special it was, but there were plenty of other fish in the sea. Everyone in Agrabah knew about the lamp and the genie within, they had all seen the powerful blue figure in town. It was only a matter of time until someone came by looking for their own three wishes and buying the lamp from him.

"But still, why leave it just sitting in a well? So mysterious." The little man shrugged, moving the lamp into a locked chest for the night. He turned to leave when a knock came from the front door.

"I am sorry, friend, but we are closed for the night!"

But despite this the door opened, the cool, dry desert air flowing into the shop. A short, overweight man followed. "I'm told you collect treasures from the desert."

"Well this is true, but as I said the shop is now closed and-"

"Ah! There it is, the man in the black coat was telling the truth!" The stranger ran over to the still open chest, scooping up the black lamp within. "How much for this, peddler?"

"Ah, that lamp is not for sale just yet. I have yet to appraise it, you see." The stranger pulled out a large sack of gold and set it on the counter. "Oh my."

"Does this cover it?"

"I… yes, it indeed does, friend! Er, might I interest you in some other fine pieces of jewelry to go along with the lamp?"

"No need." The stranger made his way out, cradling the lamp with a devilish smile. "This is all I care for. Soon, all of Agrabah will know the name Abis Mal!"

* * *

_Short chapter this time, real sorry about that, but school is kicking my butt lately._


	14. The Genie of the Lamp

**Chapter 14: The Genie of the Lamp**

"Come on, lady, or we'll be late!"

"Late for what?" Xion grumbled as they made their way through the morning crowds of Agrabah's bazaar. Sure it may have been easy for Iago, flying above all the stalls, but she had to weave this way and that around all the people and shops.

A shopkeeper at the stall nearest Xion waved her down. "Pretty lady, buy a pot. No finer pot in brass or silver!"

The one next to him waved around a plate full of small snacks. "Sugar dates, sugar dates and figs! Sugar dates and pistachios!"

"Would the lady like a necklace? A pretty necklace for a pretty lady." A third shopkeeper held up a golden necklace with purple gems, and Xion did stop a moment to look at it.

"These prices are ridiculous, they're just tryin' to steal from you. Keep up with me, alright?" Iago landed on Xion's shoulder and his voice dropped to a whisper. "We'll have to hurry if we want to slip into the palace unseen."

"Unseen?" Surely he hadn't meant breaking in? Xion had just assumed that Iago would have access if he knew the princess personally.

"What? Uh, no, never mind that!" Iago gave an irritated sigh and rubbed his eyes. "Just go a little faster, alright?"

But despite Iago pushing her, there really wasn't a lot that Xion could do to speed up. The crowds in Agrabah were ridiculous, especially so early in the morning. She almost wished she could just run along the rooftops, but judging by all the guards walking around the bazaar that would be a quick way to get them on her tail.

"Oof! Hey, watch where you're going!" A short, chubby man cried when Xion, distracted as she observed the guards, ran right into him. "Did you break it?" He looked at something in his hands, but when Xion leaned over to see what it was the man hastily covered it up with his hat and ran off.

"…Sorry?" Xion mumbled in confusion, looking off in the direction he had run. Already the strange man had vanished into the sea of people. With a shrug and a sigh, she continued following Iago through the bazaar. Eventually, finally, the crowds began to thin and Xion found herself in front of a pair of rather large doors with intricate designs carved into them. Iago looked around warily. "You okay there?" Xion asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine! Just uh, you know, keeping an eye out for thieves and urchins and all that!" The doors were slowly opening as Iago spoke and a large man with a beard and missing tooth walked out. Xion heard a soft "Eek!" from Iago, and the parrot vanished.

The man - evidently a guard judging by his uniform - eyed Xion with suspicion and marched right up to her, hand at the scimitar on his belt. "You there! Girl! What business do you have at the palace?"

"Uh, I'm…"

"You're the new court wizard." Iago whispered into Xion's ear. Was he hiding in the hood of her jacket?

"I'm… the new court wizard!" Xion agreed, holding her hand palm-up and forming an orb of light in the air. The guard's narrow eyes widened at the sight, and he gave a hesitant nod.

"Very well, then. Head straight to the audience chamber, nowhere else. We don't need any more street rats stalking about the palace." When he turned and marched down to the bazaar, Xion reached behind her and pulled Iago out of her hood.

"What was that about? Why hide from the guards if you know the princess?"

"Lady, your grip is _really_ strong!" Iago muttered, placing his wings to his throat. "And uh- oh, that was just Razoul! Yeah, me and him, we got this long game of hide and seek going. I've been winning for the last week!"

Xion crossed her arms. She didn't believe that for a moment, but it really wasn't any of her business what issues Iago had with that Razoul guy. She just promised to help him apologize to Aladdin and Jasmine, and that was all.

But when Xion moved to open the large doors, they didn't budge. Iago groaned. "What, do they lock right away now? Razoul _just_ opened these things!"

"Don't worry about it, I've got this." A familiar warm light flashed in her hand, and Xion held up the Keyblade to the doors. Iago let out a short scream when he saw the weapon in Xion's hand, but cut himself off quickly enough. It must have just been surprise at a sword coming out of nowhere.

The Keyblade's beam struck the door dead center, and they swung open into a garden courtyard with a matching door at the other end. But next to that door were two figures: Aladdin, now dressed in blue clothes with gold trim, and a woman in blue. She must have been Jasmine.

"I don't know, Jasmine, I don't think this outfit is me, you know?" Aladdin tugged at the light blue sleeves.

"I know, but your usual clothes just don't fit a vizier. You can wear them all you want once tonight's dinner is over." She smoothed down Aladdin's hair.

"Oh, that reminds me! Jasmine, I ran into Sora and his friends yesterday. Do you think they could join us… huh?" Aladdin trailed off when he finally saw Xion standing in the doorway, but he only looked to her for a second. No, what really caught Aladdin's attention was the parrot laughing nervously on Xion's shoulder. "Iago!"

"They don't sound happy to see you." Xion muttered.

"Aheheh… well, it's like I said, I came here to apologize!" Iago jumped off her shoulder and flew to the two of them. "Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, it sure is nice to see you too again!"

"How did you escape?" He jumped up to grab at Iago, but the parrot was too high.

"Listen, please, if you would just hear me out?" Iago stayed hovering just out of Aladdin's reach. "I swear, I'm a whole new bird! If you just give me a chance to talk…"

"Oh, you'll talk all right." Aladdin let out a sharp whistle. "Carpet, let's go!"

Xion hadn't realized until now that Aladdin had been standing on an expensive looking purple and gold carpet. At the sound of his voice it lifted into the air and pursued Iago around the courtyard.

"Gotcha!" Aladdin grabbed the bird with both hands. "Now talk, Iago! How did you get free? Where's Jafar?"

"Please, can you lay off him?" All three turned to Xion when she spoke, and she felt like Aladdin and Jasmine were really only noticing her for the first time. "I don't know what happened, but Iago at least has the right to be heard, doesn't he?"

"Who are you?" Jasmine asked.

"Her name's Xion." Iago, still held tight in Aladdin's grip, let out a gasp for air. "She's got a key… like that Sora kid!"

"A Keyblade?" Jasmine and Aladdin asked together, looking from Iago to Xion. Jasmine's brow furrowed. "Why would somebody with a Keyblade help Iago?"

"We've… got some stuff in common, that's all. Both of us want to apologize to people we've wronged." Xion looked down at her feet and kicked the sand. "He just worked up the courage before me. Though if I can be honest, seeing this reaction isn't exactly making my concerns any better." She sighed. "Anyway, I'm sure this is personal for you guys. I'll just leave."

"Wait, miss- uh, Xion?" Aladdin loosened his grip on Iago, though didn't let go, as Carpet landed behind the girl. "Did Iago tell you just what it was he did?"

"Not exactly, no."

Aladdin sighed and Jasmine gave him a sad look. "Looks like we're going to have to do some explaining." He tightened his grip again when Iago began slipping out. "Uh-uh, and _you're_ not going anywhere."

**x-x-x**

"Finally away from all the crowds." Abis Mal leaned against the wall of a back alley far from Agrabah's bazaar. "That pale girl almost found out I had the lamp, that wouldn't have been good. These wishes belong to me!"

"Pale girl?" A deep voice rumbled. Abis Mal looked up above, where a man in a black coat stood on a ledge above.

"Oh, oh it's you!" He called. "Thank you again for the tip and the bag of gold… Hey, why are you here? The lamp is mine now, buddy!"

"I do not care for your toys. This pale girl, what did she look like?" A spear appeared out of nowhere, accompanied by a gust of wind, and pressed itself up against Abis Mal's neck.

"I-I-I- I'm not sure!" He stuttered. "I just ran into her in the bazaar! What, is she a friend of yours?"

"Friends? What do you take me for?" The spear pressed harder. "Now answer the question."

"Uh, wearing white, mostly! Really short hair, had a jacket of some sort on. Don't hurt me, please! I swear, I didn't get a good look at her!"

"So the traitor is in Agrabah? How convenient for me." The man dismissed his spear, and Abis Mal fell into the sand in relief. "Fool of a thief, be sure you do not squander my good will. Go off and free the genie from that lamp, and we will both get what we desire."

"Y-Yeah, right… sure thing." Abis Mal muttered, beginning to rub the sand off the lamp as the man in the black coat vanished. He could feel the black metal heating up when heavy footsteps approached from behind. "Oh, what is it now? I thought you told me to set the genie free?" He spun around, but it wasn't the black hood he was face to face with.

"I believe that lamp holds a friend of mine, pally. Hand it over, I've been lookin' for it for ages." The newcomer was taller and wider than Abis Mal, wearing blue and red clothing and with the face of a cat.

"Ah! M-Monster!" Abis Mal backed up against the wall of the alley, frantically rubbing at the lamp now. "Genie, save me from this thing!"

"Oh no you don't, hand it over!" The cat man dived forward as red smoke escaped from the lamp. In a brilliant flash of light, the two of them went momentarily blinded. As Abis Mal's vision came back to him, the sound of laughter echoed around.

"I am free! Free to exact vengeance on he who has imprisoned me!"

The genie was _huge_… and red? The genie everyone had seen around Agrabah was blue, though… He hadn't seemed to notice them, making his way up above the buildings of the city even as he still laughed maniacally. It seemed he was about to fly toward the palace when something tugged his arms backwards. The golden rings on his wrists?

"Who dares hold the mighty Jafar back?!" The genie roared, glaring down into the alleyway.

"Uh, Jafar… you're uh, still bound by the lamp." The cat man said softly, and Abis Mal looked to him in surprise. They knew each other?!

"Maleficent's lapdog. Pete, isn't it? Well hurry up, then, fool! Free me from the prison that street rat trapped me in!"

"Well I would but, uh- this guy here is the one with it."

"H-Hi…?" Abis Mal offered, raising a hand in greeting. He could feel his shaking legs turning to jelly as Jafar's piercing golden eyes set on him. The genie's face deepened into a scowl.

"This petty little thief commands me? These are the things I have to put up with." In a swirl of red smoke, Jafar shrunk down and soon enough a tall human dressed in red stood before the two. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Release me!"

Abis Mal was about to do just that when suddenly everything clicked. _He_ had the lamp. "I, I don't think so, buddy. As long as I got this thing, you answer to me: Abis Mal!"

Jafar stepped closer and Abis Mal flinched, but the man didn't do anything; _couldn't_ do anything. "Fine then, Abis Mal. Name your two wishes, but if you don't make the third one my freedom, you will live to regret it."

Abis Mal gulped. "I-I wish to be rich and-"

"Gawrsh!" A new voiced came from the end of the alley. "The Pete working with Maleficent was the Pete we knew after all!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood with their weapons at the ready.

Pete laughed. "Well if it ain't the king's errand boys!"

"I knew I saw Jafar in the sky! Who freed you from the lamp?" Donald demanded, pointing his staff forward.

"Jafar! How did you escape?!"

Three more figures appeared at the other end of the alley: Aladdin, Jasmine, and Xion. "Well, if it isn't the street rat." Jafar laughed, but his eyes narrowed at the bird with the three of them. "Iago! You treacherous bird, get back here!"

Xion backed up away from Sora before he could notice her. _This day just isn't going my way._

Jafar growled as he studied the six who were trapping him in. "Abis Mal, if you do not want to see the full force of my rage, I suggest you use this wish wisely. Allow me to attack these pests!"

"Y-Yeah, whatever you say!" Abis Mal rubbed the lamp frantically and held it up. "Genie, just… just do what ever you want!"

Jafar laughed as he began to transform back into his genie form, Sora's group and Aladdin bracing themselves for combat as Xion, Jasmine, and Iago backed away from the alley. An explosion tossed the nearby buildings aside, which Xion only barely deflected from her group with a well-timed light spell.

**x-x-x**

"We need to find a way to stop him!" Iago called out, watching the fight that erupted in the crater Jafar's fire spell had left behind. It was a chaotic brawl with Aladdin, Sora, Donald and Goofy against Pete and Jafar. And that Abis Mal guy caught in the middle, cowering as he held the lamp tightly to his chest.

"I still think you had something to do with this, Iago. But you're right." Jasmine looked up, searching for something in the sky. "Unfortunately, the only one of us who stands any chance against Jafar's magic isn't here."

"What, the genie?" Iago grumbled. "Did he ditch you guys?"

"He went off to explore the world. I have no idea when he'll be back, but I just wish it will be soon."

"A wish, you say? Why princess, your wish is my command!" Sparks flew to their right, and an explosion of smoke left a blue figure standing beside them. "The one, the only… Geeenie of the Lamp!" Fireworks and an electric sign calling for applause accompanied him, but mostly they were just shocked. Genie blinked at Xion and leaned in closer. "Say uh, don't I know you, kid?"

"I… don't think so?"

"Hm, musta been the wrong girl." He split into two. "Identical strangers, happens all the time." They spoke in unison.

"Genie, how in the world did you know we needed you?" Jasmine asked.

"Oh, you know, I have a seventh sense for these kinds of things – the sixth sense is my fashion sense!" Genie produced a set of binoculars from thin air and looked over at the fight. "I was actually in the desert and on my way home anyway. This close I could feel Jafar freed from his lamp. I know things look bad, but don't worry: he's a genie, and genies can't kill anyone!" At this, Goofy went sailing through the air and crashed into Donald. Genie winced. "But you'd be surprised what you can live through. Alright, that's it, time to help my friends! Kid, hold my stuff." A bag full of clothes and souvenirs poofed into existence and he handed it to Xion. "I've got a renegade genie to take care of!"

"Hey, Jafar!"

Cut off in the middle of maniacal laughter, Jafar spun around to question who would dare interrupt him when a bolt of blue crashed right into his chest. Crashing into a nearby building, Jafar looked up to see Genie gloating above him.

"Genie!" Aladdin and Sora called out together.

"Who's laughing now?!" Genie cried. In response, Jafar transformed his hands into dragon heads and sent streams of flame at him.

"Why, I believe it's me!" Jafar laughed, growing larger and grabbing Genie with one hand. Lightning sparked around his other hand as he focused the fight on his counterpart. "I must admit your parlor tricks are amusing. I've bet you've got a bunny under your hat! Now here's your chance to get the best of me, hope your hand is hot. Come on, clown, let's see what you've got!"

Breaking free of Jafar's grip, Genie fired bolts of lightning toward him. Jafar merely shrugged it off. "You try to slam me with your hardest stuff, but your double whammy isn't up to snuff. I'll set the record straight: you're simply out of date." A fist surrounded by fire sent Genie crashing into the dirt.

"You're only second rate!"

"Genie, are you okay?!" Aladdin cried out, running over to his friend.

"Oh, hey Al. Yeah, I'm fine. Surprised at what I can live through?"

Aladdin smiled. "Genie, you're always full of surprises. Now, any bright ideas?"

"Last time we fought, Jafar wished to be an all-powerful genie. I can't outclass him. But…" Genie's gaze went to Sora – more specifically, Sora's Keyblade. "I think I may have an idea!" In a puff of smoke Genie stood next to Sora, investigating the Keyblade with a jeweler's monocle. "Mm-hmm, yep, I see. It's perfect!"

"Uh… what?"

"The Keyblade can lock or unlock anything, and only another Keyblade can open what one has sealed." A scale model of the city appeared in Genie's hand and he covered it up with his other palm. "So I just make a shield over the city, Sora locks it in place, and not even Jafar can break it open!"

"Will that work?"

"Uh… maybe!" Genie examined a calculator. "I'm ninety-three percent sure!"

"We've got nothing else to lose. We'll force Jafar out of the city and deal with him in the desert." Sora held out his Keyblade. "Genie, work your magic!"

Genie tugged on his tail and the tip transformed into a weapon resembling a Keyblade, with the end shaped like his lamp. "Kid, I always love working with you!" Sora and Genie placed their weapons together and they began to glow.

**x-x-x**

"What is that?" Jasmine pointed up to the sky, where a dome of interconnecting hexagons began to encase Agrabah. Outside the dome, Jafar slammed his fists against it repeatedly in an attempt to break through.

"It looks like a barrier spell…" Xion replied, and then a stalking shadow caught her attention. "Huh? Pete!"

"Well, uh, hey there Key girl!" Pete said, surprised he had been caught while trying to slip by unseen. "Sorry, don't got time to play today. Things have gone real south with Jafar, and I gotta report this to Maleficent. Oh, she ain't gonna like this…" He opened a dark corridor and took a step back.

"Wait, Pete! Get back here!" Xion took a step toward the corridor, but a chunk of black metal slamming into the ground in front of her caught her eye. Was that the lamp?

"W-WAIT! Don't leave me with them!" The man who had freed Jafar from the lamp screamed, running up to Pete. Xion stared; now that she got a better look at him, he was clearly the man she had run into in the bazaar earlier.

"Oh, no you don't, guy! There's only room for one in this portal!" Pete pushed the little man away, but he fought back.

"Let me in and I'll pay you! Abis Mal always repays his debts!" The little man shoved Pete aside and dove into the darkness.

"Why you…!" Pete called after him as he jumped in. The corridor vanished, leaving Jasmine and Xion staring.

"What was that about?" Xion wondered, waiting for Iago to chime in. After a few moments with no response, she looked to her shoulder. "Iago?" But he was nowhere to be found.

* * *

_Eh... I don't really like this one._

_Aladdin's outfit is the one he sometimes wore in the TV show, like in the Hercules crossover. Also, writing Genie is really intimidating._


	15. Only Second Rate

**Chapter 15: Only Second Rate**

"Is this the place?"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Aladdin and Genie stood on a cliff overlooking the ruined remains of a city out in the desert. Genie was currently investigating them with a telescope.

"Yep, this is it!" Genie flew up into the air above the ruins. "Just uncovered in that last big sandstorm, tons of Heartless, an ominous tower in the distance… Jafar is here!"

Not too long ago, after locking Jafar out of Agrabah, Aladdin had gone over to speak with Jasmine. He had seemed surprised that Jasmine was alone, asking her where 'they' had gone, but Jasmine didn't have an answer. Not pressing the subject any more, Aladdin told Jasmine their plan to pursuit Jafar and the group began their trek through the desert. Genie's magic had sped up their travels, and only half an hour later they now found themselves here at these ruins.

"But how do we get down there?" Donald asked, looking over the edge of the cliff with a gulp. "We can't all fit on Carpet."

"Just leave it to me!" Genie tugged on his hands, detaching them from his wrists. "Nothing up my sleeves… alakazam!" He pointed his index fingers at the group and fired bolts of lightning at them. After the smoke cleared and the sand it had knocked into the air settled, Sora felt a familiar, light sensation. He tried a small jump and never returned to the ground.

"It's just like Neverland!" Goofy chuckled by Sora's side, moving his arms as if he was swimming. Donald was shuddering, mumbling about a fear of heights. Aladdin at first struggled to find his balance, but caught on quickly enough.

"Just think happy thoughts, boys!" Genie called out. Sora did a double-take when he saw a familiar green hat and red feather on Genie's head, but it vanished as quickly as it was there. "Next stop: Jafar!" He flew forward – and crashed right into something invisible, the telltale hexagon pattern of a barrier spell flashing briefly. "Well that shouldn't be there…"

"I wonder…" Aladdin picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it in a random direction into the city. It bounced off a wall as well. A second rock did not. "Jafar's matching us at the barrier game. I think he set up a maze of invisible walls. Guess we can't just fly straight to that tower."

"Hey, tricks are my gig!" Genie growled and pulled out a pair of strange goggles with glowing green lenses. "Okay then, I'll keep a lookout for the pesky walls. You men, follow me!" A military uniform flashed onto Genie's body to accompany the goggles. "We're heading deep into enemy territory, so keep an eye out for hostiles."

The group flew down into the ruins of the city, following Genie's direction as he navigated the maze. Partway through the journey they were attacked by Wizards and Rapid Thrusters, and while Donald, Goofy and Genie went to work taking care of the Wizards, Sora and Aladdin dived into the swarm of Rapid Thrusters.

Aladdin flew through the swarm, swinging his sword faster than Sora could keep up with; all he heard was the sound of metal striking the Heartless. When Aladdin looped back around to Sora's back and took out more of the Rapid Thrusters behind the younger boy, Sora flew forward and hit some that Aladdin has missed.

"How 'bout a little teamwork?" Aladdin called out.

The two pressed the bottoms of their feet together and swung around, jumping off the other and using the momentum of their swing to finish off the rest of the Heartless. Genie's goggles extended out like binoculars while the others caught their breath.

"I think we're home clear, boys!" He called out, pointing forward. "No more invisible walls, and I'm positive that Jafar is in that tower!" He hesitated for a moment as the goggles and military uniform vanished. "Eh, reasonably sure, anyway."

"Then let's get going!" Sora flew forward.

"Wait!" Donald called out and the boy stopped to look back, an anxious expression on his face. "How are we going to beat him without the lamp? Did anyone ever pick it up?"

The silence around the group indicated that, no, nobody had the lamp. Donald crossed his arms and huffed.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Come on, let's gang up on Jafar! Maybe if we surprise him he won't change into genie form and we can take him down!"

But despite Sora's encouraging words, the group's momentum seemed to come to a sudden halt once they actually came into the tower. Sand coated everything around, lying practically undisturbed. There was no sign that anyone had been around in years.

"Genie… are you sure Jafar came this way?" Aladdin asked.

Genie scratched his head in confusion, serious for once. "It's weird, I… I coulda sworn I felt his magic coming from this tower. Sure it's empty now, but Jafar was definitely here just a few minutes ago."

"Hey fellers, look at this!" Goofy said, kneeling down to pick something up from the ground.

"What did you find, Goofy?" Sora leaned in closer to investigate, and then jumped back in surprise. "That's-!"

It was a bright red feather, untouched by the sand, and everyone immediately knew what bird it had come from.

Aladdin's eyes narrowed. "So Iago _is_ working with Jafar after all! And that means Jafar _was_ here."

"But where did they go? Jafar can't get into the city as long as the Keyblade's lock is on Genie's barrier."

Aladdin's eyes widened with worry. "If Iago is working with Jafar after all, then I think I might know what they're up to…"

**x-x-x**

Ever worried about her confrontation with Sora, Xion had fled when she saw him and his friends approaching Jasmine. In the short time since then she had helped with the repair efforts in Agrabah, not that anyone had made too much headway yet. Xion had been working so hard while so unused to the desert's dry heat that eventually Razoul had practically ordered her to take a rest. So now, here she was, sitting in the sand against Agrabah's outer wall with nothing to do but toss the black lamp she had collected up and down.

"Maybe I should move on to the next world." Xion decided. She was about to pull out the star shard when a muffled voice called out her name on the other side of the wall. "Iago?"

How had he gotten outside? With that barrier up around Agrabah, no one should have been able to leave. Had he already been outside when it went up? Xion frowned, remembering that Iago_ had_ mysteriously vanished during all that chaos.

"Xion, are you there?!" His voice called again.

"Yes, I am. Are you trapped outside, Iago?" She called back, wandering the length of the wall until she came across a small square window. Iago smiled on the other side, the barrier spell all that kept him from flying right on through.

"I flew off to get away from Jafar and got locked out when the Key boy shut the city up. Could you throw me a bone here and let me back in?"

"But how could I do that?"

"You got a Key, too, right? I saw you use it at the palace. They can open anything!" Iago hesitated for a moment, looking at something next to him. Xion tried to move around to see what he was looking at, but Iago moved to block her vision. "So yeah, if you could open the barrier?"

"I'm not sure, that big genie…"

"He's far from here, fighting Sora and those guys! Why, I bet they already beat him! They could stomp Jafar in no time flat!" That last sentence, strangely enough, didn't seem directed at Xion. "Anyway, it will only be for a second. We can put up a new barrier easy with Jasmine's help since she's one of those Princesses of Heart and all."

"She is?" Xion thought over Iago's offer; it certainly seemed to make sense. And if Jasmine was one of the Princesses that Aurora had told her about, then surely she could make a simple barrier spell after all. "Okay, but hurry inside."

Xion willed the Keyblade into her hand and pointed it upwards, where a large golden Keyhole was floating in the sky and radiating a glowing aura. The Keyblade's tip was encircled in light and the familiar beam of light shot up. No doubt it could be seen by the entire city as the beam rose into the air. When it entered the Keyhole there was an echoing click and the hexagons making up the barrier came into vision. But they were only there for a moment and with a sound like shattering glass vanished.

The instant the barrier was gone Iago shot through the window, zooming by Xion so fast she didn't even have time to ask where he was going. As she watched Iago's figure disappear into the bazaar, the wind picked up around her. A whirlwind of sand rose into the sky, accompanied by loud laughter. The whirlwind spread out and exploded, sending sand raining down on the city. In its place was Jafar, hovering above the city as a gigantic genie.

"Poor little second rate Keybearer!" Jafar roared looming over Xion. "A bit too trusting of flying rats, I see. That is something we both have in common." Jafar held his hands out palm-up, and balls of fire manifested in them. "But now I'm afraid your use to me is over; yours _and_ Iago's." Jafar tossed the fireballs into the city, and Xion braced for impact.

An impact that didn't come.

Far up above, Sora and his friends were flying – _flying!_ – and face to face with Jafar. A barrier spell faded around them, Donald and Genie having apparently worked in unison to save Agrabah from the flames.

"Your fight is with us, Jafar!" Sora shouted, charging forward.

Down below, the group apparently hadn't noticed Xion. She was thankful for that. "Where did Iago go?" Turning around, Xion ran through the bazaar, which was now completely clear of people as the guards were directing everyone to the palace for refuge. Up on one of the rooftops Xion saw a flash of red. "There!"

But as she made her way to climb up the walls, a huge chunk of stone crashed down just feet away. Xion jumped back and glanced up, as an entire house was torn from the ground and flew into the sky. Was Jafar flinging entire _buildings _at Sora?

"Things have not gone entirely as planned." A deep voice rumbled behind Xion. She whirled around to face a broad-shouldered man in a black coat. "I had hoped that Jafar would have become a Heartless by now."

"Organization XIII?" Xion readied her Keyblade.

The man gave a slow, humorless laugh and pulled down his hood. "I am Xaldin, though if the reports are true you don't remember that." The wind picked up around the pair, and Xion had to shield her eyes from the sand they carried. "Axel is the one assigned to you, but I will not let this opportunity pass me by." Two lances appeared in Xaldin's hands in a flash of light and four more hovered behind him. "Traitors are to be executed!"

A burst of wind hit Xion the moment he stopped talking, catching her off guard and knocking her off balance. Xion dug her heels into the sand and kept herself from being sent flying just in time for Xaldin to slam into her with two lances crossed together. Xion recovered quick enough to parry one of the animated lances as it tried to follow up and then fired an Aero spell of her own at Xaldin's chest.

Xaldin growled as he staggered back from the impact. "The winds will not help you against me!" He leaped into the air and fell down to the earth with all of the lances pointed right at her

Xion held up her Keyblade to block Xaldin's attack and rolled away from him as the lances righted themselves. In the instant she had before Xaldin turned to face her, Xion struck him in the back. Again and again she hit him, getting a good combo in before one of the lances swatted her away like a fly.

Xion landed on her back in the sand, her Keyblade landing a few feet away. She reached for it but Xaldin planted two of his lances into the sand through the Keyblade's hilt, keeping it on the ground. Xion glared at him and shot two Pearl spells at him. Xaldin deflected the two of them with a barrier of wind and laughed.

"Is that the best you can-"

An explosion of light interrupted Xaldin and sent him flying into a wall. Xion was about to follow him when a rumbling sound caught her attention. Both Xaldin and Xion looked up into the sky, where one of Agrabah's uprooted buildings was flying right toward them. Eyes wide, Xion ran out of the way when the building came crashing down to earth, sending sand and debris everywhere.

Using Aero to clear away the sand from the air, Xion looked around the impact site. There was no sign of Xaldin for the time being, but she had a feeling that he was able to avoid the crash as well. But she wasn't about to lose this chance, and ran into the ruined building.

"There!"

Xaldin's lances had fallen to the ground, meaning they no longer pinned Xion's Keyblade down. She picked it up and dusted the sand off, giving it a few practice swings. There was still no sign of Xaldin, though.

"So where did he go…?"

A nearby wall exploded, sending debris flying everywhere. Xaldin stood in the hole and called the two lances on the ground back to him, the six weapons now whirling around him. "I tire of this, Xion. Stop resisting and accept your fate."

**x-x-x**

Iago let out a sigh as he landed on rafters left over during the sandstorms earlier in the year. He looked up to the sky, where Sora and his friends were still in combat with Jafar. "It's not like I intended for this... I didn't exactly plan on being Jafar's guinea pig again! Not _my _fault that guy found the lamp!" Iago groaned. No one was around; he was only trying to convince himself. A sudden gust of wind knocked Iago into the air, and he whirled about before righting himself. "What the heck was- Hey!"

Down below, he caught sight of Xion battling an unfamiliar man in a black coat. The wind had apparently come from him, judging by the way those lances moved. As the two moved closer to the rafters he had been resting on moments ago, an idea sparked in Iago's mind. "Would that work?"

He quickly scanned the area for something small enough that he could pick up. There, a plank of wood. Grabbing it in his talons, Iago flew up high into the air and dropped the wood down onto larger planks on a rooftop.

It was almost comical, the way the larger planks toppled over and fell onto a barrel, which in turn got the barrel moving. It fell off the edge of the building and crashed into the wooden rafters just as Xion's opponent neared them, causing the rafters to snap and collapse on top of him.

"How did that-?" Xion looked around her, then up. "Iago?! Get back here, you! This is your fault!"

Iago waved his wings around in a defensive gesture. "Wait, wait, please just hear me out! I just saved your life, didn't I? Jafar made me do this, I promise! Trust me, lady; you do not want to get on a genie's bad side! Dying would be a mercy."

Xion hesitated, but kept her glare fixed on the parrot. "You used me after I helped you!"

"I did, and I'm not proud." Iago flew down, face to face with Xion. "But haven't we both got things we'd like to be forgiven about?"

"How touching."

Both of them whirled around, where the man in the coat was brushing sand and debris off of him. His lances had vanished, having apparently disappeared to wherever it was he kept them.

"Oh _what_, is this guy a brick wall?!" Iago shouted.

"Your lances are gone… is that, it Xaldin? You're just walking away?" Xion asked.

"I believe I've wasted enough time here. Saïx will be waiting for my mission report." Xaldin frowned and pointed one finger forward while his other opened a corridor of darkness. "But know this, Xion: the Organization does not permit traitors, least of all me. Pray that Axel finds you before I do, for this mercy is a one-time opportunity. It's like that fool of a wizard says… you're only second rate."

And with that Xaldin vanished, the corridor collapsing as Xion and Iago stood together in silence.

A silence that was soon interrupted when another building crashed behind them. Iago shouted in surprise as he ducked under a flying chunk of stone. "I almost forgot about the battle upstairs!"

"Do you think Sora and his friends can handle Jafar?" Xion asked.

"They'll tire out eventually. Jafar's only weakness is his lamp, and I have no idea where that thing is!"

_Lamp… _Xion's eyes widened in realization and she pulled the black lamp out. "This?"

"Now where the heck did you get that?"

"That guy who freed Jafar dropped it when he escaped with Pete." She looked up into the sky, where Sora was currently wrapping Jafar's tail around his body. "Iago, would you like to do the honors?"

"Would I? Hand it here!" Iago grabbed the lamp's handle and flew up, as high as he could, until he was level with the battle in the sky. "Hey, Jafar!"

The genie's attention was taken from the fight for an instant, his eyes widening when he saw the black metal in Iago's grasp. "Iago, give that to me at once!"

"I don't think so! I am done working for you, once and for all!" He loosened his grip, the lamp falling to the earth. Jafar reached down to grab it, but Aladdin and Sora got in the way, striking at his outstretched hands.

"Way to go, Iago!" Aladdin laughed.

The lamp shattered into pieces when it hit Agrabah, there was a blinding explosion, and suddenly Jafar was gone.

**x-x-x**

Xion smiled softly from her seat atop one of the buildings. After Jafar's destruction, Genie had repaired Agrabah in a flash, and there was a party now for the city's heroes – especially Iago, who was basking in the glory.

_Good for him, finally confronting his fears. _Xion thought, her gaze shifting to Sora._ I… still am not sure if I'm up for it, though._

"Are you leaving?" Genie appeared next to Xion, eyeing her. "You don't wanna go be with your friends?"

"Friends? I…"

"You know, people think I'm a goofball, and that's probably true. But I'm not unaware of things." Genie sat next to her. "Me and Al, we're best friends. And I can tell, between you and Sora… there's a spark of something similar. You guys could be best friends, too."

Xion looked down at her hands, saying nothing.

"What ever happened to that blonde kid I saw you with when we first met?"

"What?" Blonde kid… the boy from her dream?

"I wasn't sure when we ran into each other during the Jafar nonsense, but now I'm certain: we've met before." Two figures appeared in Genie's hands: Xion and the boy, both wearing Organization coats. "You two got along so well, so what happened? Did you have a falling out?"

Well, Xion didn't remember any of that. "…I don't know. But…" She looked up. "It's easy to say 'confront your fears,' but the courage to do that doesn't come as easily." She pulled out the Star Shard. "Thank you for trying to help, Genie. Maybe next time I come here, Sora and I will be friends. Just not today."

"I think you two will get over whatever problems you have. I can see it now: best friends, Sora and… hm. You know, I never actually learned your name."

She smiled. "Xion."

* * *

_The barriers are my fanon reason for why Sora didn't just fly right over the ruins during the escape sequence in KH2._

_The next major world is going to be really fun, I think. Unfortunately the next chapter will not be coming for a while, since my family is taking a trip to Disneyland (isn't that a coincidence?). First thing I'm doing is getting one of those Heartless emblem key chains I've seen pictures of!_

_Anyway, please wait patiently until then. Here's a hint for what's coming: rabbits._


	16. Lazy Afternoons

_I'm back from my trip! Unfortunately I couldn't find that Heartless keychain, but I did get a pretty cool Oswald the Lucky Rabbit hoodie. Anyway, thank you for being patient with me._

* * *

**Chapter 16: Lazy Afternoons**

"Xion, you say?"

DiZ leaned back in his chair, frowning in deep thought. After Agrabah, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had returned to Twilight Town to share what had happened back at Hollow Bastion with DiZ since he seemed to be the only person who had any real idea what was going on.

"You know her?" Donald asked.

"As you will recall, when last we met I spoke of the Organization stealing your power and your memory and placing it within one of their own." DiZ paused for a moment, and Sora glanced over to the door that led out of this ruined dining room. Where was Naminé? "I think, perhaps, that Xion was only pretending to be your friend."

"What do you mean by that?" Sora asked. That Xigbar guy had suggested that, too; that she had faked the amnesia.

"While the three of you were in your sleep, Naminé and I attempted to return the powers Xion had stolen from you. Xion resisted, and I must say she put on quite the convincing display of fear." DiZ's frown deepened. "To my regret, she got away. I can only assume that this series of events from the day Xion appeared at my doorstep has been a ploy by Organization XIII, and we fell for it."

"But then why have that Xigbar guy reveal everything?"

DiZ sat in silence for a good while, contemplating Sora's question. "…This requires more thought." He stood from his chair. "Excuse me for the day, my friends. I will go over these events in private." As the mysterious man left the room, he stopped one last time and spoke without facing them. "I am always at this mansion, but if I am not in this room, do not look for me; ask Naminé for advice instead. When I am in the basement of this mansion I am very busy and must not be disturbed."

The group watched DiZ go and sat in silence for a few minutes longer, considering everything. Sora tapped the side of his head with his fist. It just didn't make any sense; if it was a scheme to befriend them, then why let Xion's history slip? Xigbar seemed much more focused on telling those things to_ her_ than to the rest of them. DiZ may know a lot, but Sora had a feeling he was wrong about this.

But, then again, if Xion had once been part of the Organization, then even if she had left them those emotions were all faked. The beginnings of friendship that he had felt weren't there on Xion's end…

"Gawrsh," Goofy's voice was just above a whisper as he looked out the window into the forest, and the sunset beyond. "I wonder where she is now?"

**x-x-x**

"Now arriving at Central Station," a deep voice boomed over the intercom.

Xion shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The star shard had dropped her off in this world right on board a moving train. Luckily the car had been empty, or else she'd have had to make some excuse for just how she appeared out of nowhere and didn't have a ticket.

Xion glanced out the window at the sun setting in the sky and felt a strange twinge in her chest. Moving to look at the large clock tower that rose high above the rest of the town, Xion brought a surprised hand to her mouth when she realized she had been smiling. This entire world was weird; it didn't have the same sense of "home" she had felt on Destiny Islands, but it was… nostalgic. That was a good word for it.

The train came to a stop inside the clock tower and Xion got off, looking around and expecting to run into someone asking to see her ticket any moment.

"Come on, you guys! We're gonna miss the train!" A girl's voice called out at the entrance to the station. Xion looked over to the person it had come from: a brunette in an orange shirt about her age, talking to her two friends. Both were boys, one with blonde hair and one with black.

"There are only two days left of summer, we need to get down to the beach before it's too late!" The blonde boy groaned and slammed a fist on the ticket counter. "That's what I'd like to say, Olette, but there's nobody manning the counter. No ticket means no train."

A train horn roared and Xion looked over her shoulder at the orange car pulling out of the station. That was the train she had come on. The three kids sighed as it left.

"There goes our ride," muttered the one with black hair. "Guess we did all those jobs for nothing."

"Who leaves this unattended anyway?" The blonde boy glared daggers at the empty ticket counter. "Well, we'll buy a ticket tomorrow. That munny isn't going anywhere."

"No way, Hayner!" The girl said. "We need to do our homework tomorrow! We all agreed, remember?" She sighed and crossed her arms. "That was our last shot for the beach this year."

"Ugh, right. The homework. Gimme a break, Olette…" The boy called Hayner finally noticed Xion watching them. "What's your problem?"

"Oh, I…"

"Are you new in town?" The girl – Olette, Xion silently noted her friend had called her – walked over. "You're the second new kid this week after that boy a few days ago. So, got any plans for the homework? You could join us if you want to!" She blinked as if realizing something and then giggled. "Er, that is, if the school even assigns transfer students summer homework. Do they do that, Pence?" She looked back at the boy with black hair.

"I don't think do." He replied.

Xion felt bombarded. She didn't understand half of what these guys were saying. "Uh, yeah, I am new in town. And… I don't know anything about any homework. Oh!" Right, Xion realized, she was looking for someone. "Have any of you seen a little girl with black hair and a red dress?"

The three looked at one another, asking a silent question among themselves. At last Olette shook her head. "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells." Xion's shoulders drooped. "But if you want, we can help you look for her."

"Hey, that could be fun!" Pence smiled. "And we could help show you around Twilight Town while doing it."

It certainly wouldn't hurt to have someone help her get around. "Okay, sure." Xion smiled. "I'm Xion; I'll go with you guys for today."

"Hmph." The blonde boy replied.

"Don't mind Hayner, he's always a bit grumpy." Olette smiled. She took Xion's hand and gave a warm smile. "Let's start down in the Tram Common. There's a whole lot to see here in Twilight Town!"

**x-x-x**

"It's been a while since I've seen you here, young man."

"Oh, been kinda busy at work. You know how it is."

Axel rubbed the back of his neck as the old woman who ran the candy shop took his munny. She was a sweet old lady, and Lea probably would have taken a liking to her immediately, but Axel never felt right getting so comfortable around her. If someone like Saïx or Xaldin ever found out he'd be punished for letting himself be seen.

"Would you like your usual?" The old woman asked, moving over to the freezer where the ice cream was kept.

"Yes, please. One sea-salt ice cream bar."

The woman hesitated for a moment and Axel saw her put back two more ice creams. She had got out three, huh… Well, he knew what was coming next.

"Where are those children you spent so much time with?" The question was a genuine one, Axel knew. Despite his own reservations, Xion and Roxas had quickly befriended the shop owner during their many visits. She seemed to really care for them.

"We…" Axel trailed off as he took the ice cream from her, thinking about the best way to go about this. Calling it a 'falling out' would probably get him a lecture about mending friendships, and that would take up time that he couldn't afford to lose. Saïx was keeping Axel on a tight leash ever since he let Xion get away a second time back at Hollow Bastion. It was a miracle he was able to get to Twilight Town today for his ice cream.

"I think I'm gonna give them some space." He said finally, unwrapping the ice cream slowly as he spoke. It wasn't true, but he really needed to speed things along. And, just maybe, he didn't want to worry the old lady.

"They're at that age." She nodded in agreement.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. They're at that age." Well, she certainly got the wrong idea there. "Anyway, hey, if you see Xion – that's the girl – tell her I was looking for her, will ya?"

"Of course, dear. You have a nice day, now."

"You too, granny." Axel waved goodbye and walked off through the Tram Common, turning down an alley once he was certain nobody was looking. One dark corridor trip later and Axel was sitting atop the clock tower, looking out over Twilight Town.

"Today makes three-hundred and sixty three…" He mumbled. Since that conversation with Roxas over a hundred days ago, Axel himself had begun memorizing the number of days that had gone by. "A lot sure has happened during the last month, huh?"

The sound of laughter called Axel's attention down to the plaza far below, where those same three kids he often saw playing were walking out of the train station. They still weren't in school yet? Summer had to be ending soon, surely.

A fourth figure left the train station behind them and Axel, only half paying attention, took a long moment before registering just who he was looking at.

"Xion?!" He stood up in surprise, his ice cream slipping from his hands with the sudden motion. Axel fumbled to grab it but it was too late, the ice cream fell down to the plaza and landed right behind Xion. The four looked down at the mess and then up at the clock tower and Axel swore, pressing himself as close to the wall as he could. For a few tense moments he didn't budge, but eventually Axel did lean over to spare a glance below. The four were leaving the plaza, heading down the road into town. That girl had her arm firmly interlocked with Xion, who almost looked uncomfortable with it. Not that he could really tell from so high up.

"So much for my treat, then." Axel sighed and waved open a new corridor. This one took him to a roof above Market Street, where he waited for the group to come down. It wouldn't be a good idea to make a scene, so he'd have to wait until they were away from large crowds before confronting Xion. Until then, he'd just wait.

The sound of a corridor closing came from a few rooftops over, and Axel turned in surprise as a figure in the black coat jumped down from his rooftop into an alleyway. Why on earth was someone else from the Organization here?

"Saïx probably sent some unlucky soul to keep an eye on me." Axel grumbled, crossing his arms.

**x-x-x**

"And this is the Tram Common!" Olette swept an arm out at the large area before them, and Xion had to admit it was an impressive sight with all the shops and people. The name no doubt came from that tram she saw moving around down the street. "We come here a lot, there's this clothing store you just _have_ to see, Xion!"

"Maybe later." Xion said, looking around. "This is pretty overwhelming already. I don't think I've ever seen so many people in one place." How was she going to find Lilo in a mess like this?

"Hey, there's no line at the candy shop." Pence said, pointing at a stall with an old woman behind the counter. She smiled and waved when she noticed Pence pointing at the store.

"Race you there!" Hayner laughed, running off at top speed. Pence followed though couldn't quite keep up, so Olette took his hand and pulled him along. Xion even found herself running after the three friends.

"Well hello there, kids!" The shop owner smiled as they approached. "What can I get for you all today?"

"Four sea-salt ice creams!" Hayner said, pulling out his wallet. The woman frowned, however.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hayner, but I'm afraid we're all out. I just sold the last one to a young man a few minutes ago."

"Nothing seems to be going our way today." Hayner grumbled.

Olette shrugged. "It's okay. We'll have chocolate, then… Oh, Xion, is that okay with you?"

"Huh?" Xion hadn't really been paying attention, as she was scanning the crowd for Lilo. "Oh, yeah. Sounds fine."

"Why, I didn't even notice you there!" The old woman laughed to herself and called Xion over to the counter. Xion was confused at the apparent familiarity but moved closer anyway. "Young lady, your friend was just here. He was looking for you."

"My… friend?" Xion tilted her head. Who was she talking about? It couldn't be Sora, could it? Or maybe it was that blonde boy from her dream. They had been on the clock tower, after all…

"Yes. Oh, what was his name again? Alex? Andy?" She sighed. "The young man with red hair who you were always with."

Xion froze. Red hair had to mean Axel. "Which way did he go?" She asked. Whatever the answer was, she'd go the other way.

"Down toward the alleyway, I believe. Though I have no idea what he would be doing back there."

Xion grimaced while Olette and her friends exchanged confused looks with each other. "That's not who you're looking for, is it, Xion?" Olette asked. "I thought you wanted to find a girl in a red dress?"

"Yeah, that's right. Axel, he… he doesn't know her. It won't help asking him."

"But if your friend is looking for you, shouldn't you go see what he wants?" Hayner asked.

"Oh, no, he can… he can wait for a bit." Xion said quietly. The other three almost didn't hear her. "Hey, uh, what's that way?" She pointed toward a wall on the edge of the Tram Common with a hole in it.

"Over there? That's the way to the haunted mansion." Pence shrugged. "They say that a mad scientist lives there, and that you can see the ghost of a girl in a white dress in one of the windows. It's all bogus- hey, Xion, where are you going?"

She didn't really know, honestly. She just had to get away from Axel, and so made her way to the hole in the wall. Surely an abandoned mansion had places to hide. The other three called after Xion and tried to follow her, but she weaved her way through the crowds in a hurry. _Axel could be anywhere, I can't put them in danger._

The hole brought Xion to a forest and without a crowd nearby she was able to break into a sprint as she moved between the trees. Every now and then she thought she saw a black coat out in the shadows of the forest, but when no one appeared Xion decided it had to just be her paranoia imagining them up.

She skidded to a stop in a clearing. Mossy brick walls and an opened iron gate were all that kept her from the old mansion. Luckily the gate was open and so Xion stepped through, but she froze when the doorknob to the old building began to turn.

Xion considered diving behind one of the ruined pillars in the courtyard, but it wouldn't hide her for long. She summoned the Keyblade, ready to fight whoever came out of those doors.

"Xion?!" A boy's voice gasped in surprise. Xion swore.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were looking right at her.

Why did she have to run into them when Axel was so close by?


	17. Clash at Sunset

_So Pokémon X came out and I kind of got consumed by it._

_**Airborne3: **__Ah, I did talk about rabbits but that's next "major" world. This stop at Twilight Town isn't too long._

* * *

**Chapter 17: Clash at Sunset**

"Xion! What…what are you doing here?"

Sora took a step forward, his arm stretched out, and Xion responded by taking a step backwards. He sighed; Xion clearly hadn't expected to see them, and of course he hadn't thought she would be here. He had hoped, though, that now that they had run into each other Sora could get her side of the story.

"Xion, I need to know… are you really with Organization XIII?" He waited a moment for a reply, but she did nothing besides stare down at the grass. "Please, just give me an answer."

The moment dragged on, and Sora felt like he, Donald, and Goofy stood there watching Xion for hours. Finally, she gulped and looked up at them. Her eyes looked watery. "I…"

The _shing_ of sharp metal echoed through the courtyard and something whirled toward Sora's group. Goofy held up his shield just in time to deflect it; a red and silver chakram covered in spikes landed on the ground, one of the spikes digging into the dirt. Sora looked around for the weapon's owner

"Who's there? Show yourself!" _Swish._ "Huh?" _Swish. Swish._ Sora recognized that sound and immediately summoned the Keyblade. The air around the four of them rippled as Nobodies appeared and circled around their group.

"Did Xion do this?" Donald asked, drawing his staff and standing back-to-back with Goofy.

Goofy looked over to the girl, who had brought out her own Keyblade and was currently staring down a pair of Assassins. He shook his head and looked at Donald. "I don't think so…"

"Worry about it later!" Sora called to his friends, striking at a Dusk as it came close. "We need to take care of these Nobodies right now!"

The Dusks charged forward as one, dodging and weaving through the air as Sora and Goofy swung their weapons. Others contorted their bodies in impossible ways to avoid Donald's fire blasts. Sora grit his teeth and spun on his heel, hitting one Dusk that was too busy avoiding Goofy to dodge him and sending it flying into another.

"Xion, look out!" Goofy called, and the girl looked up from her battle with the Assassins as his shield came flying towards her. With a gasp she ducked down, barely avoiding being hit in the head. The shield crashed into a Creeper that was about to hit her from behind.

Xion stared at the small Nobody as it dissolved and looked up at Goofy with a mix of gratitude and confusion. "Th-thanks…"

"Gawrsh, no problem!" Sure that Xion could handle the Assassins herself, Goofy frowned as he scanned the courtyard, searching for where the shield landed. "Found it!"

"I've got you covered, Goofy!" Donald called out, a bolt of lightning striking a Dusk that got too near to the shield. "Hurry and pick it up!"

"Thanks, Donald! I owe ya one!" Goofy ran through the middle of the battlefield, ignoring the Nobodies that attacked him as they were shocked by Thunder spells one by one. When he reached the weapon Goofy gave a laugh and began spinning around like a tornado, sending the rest of the Nobodies after him flying in all directions.

Sora braced himself as Goofy moved closer to him. At the end of his spin, Goofy used the momentum to send an Assassin flying into the air. Sora jumped up and hit it across the chest, and then Goofy jumped even higher and slammed his shield against the Nobody, crashing it into the ground.

Twin bolts of lightning struck an Assassin that prepared to attack Sora as he landed. Sora looked back over his shoulder and gave a thumbs-up to Donald.

"Is that it?" He asked, looking around the courtyard. Xion was still in a battle stance and looking out into the forest as if searching for enemies, but at least the Assassins that had been attacking her earlier were nowhere to be found.

The sound of clapping came from behind them, and Sora whirled around to see a man in an Organization coat picking up the spiked chakram from earlier. The man smirked and crossed his arms as the chakram vanished in a flurry of flames.

"Simply amazing, kids!"

"You… you were at Hollow Bastion." Sora gripped his Keyblade tighter. "What is it you Organization guys are after?"

"Axel." Xion's voice was quiet but firm. She stepped forward, moving between the man and Sora.

"Are you not running away from me this time? I'm so FLATTERED!" As Axel shouted the last word, a wall of fire flew up behind Xion and sent Sora, Donald, and Goofy flying back. Groaning, Sora looked up and tried to get a good view of the two of them between the flames. "But you're too late!" Axel held out his hands to his sides, summoning the chakram from before in one hand and an identical weapon in the other.

The wall of fire keeping Sora and his friends out grew, scorching the ruined bricks around the courtyard. Donald fired a Blizzard spell, but it melted before even coming close to the flames. Xion was on her own.

"Axel-" She hesitated. "…Please, just let me go."

"Sorry, Xion. I have a job to do. I'm not getting turned into a Dusk for this." Axel swung his chakrams, fire swirling around them in sync with the motions. "Come here, I'll make it all stop. _Burn_, baby!"

Tightening the hold on her Keyblade, Xion charged forward. Axel swung his chakrams around his body and flame erupted out beneath him, covering the ground in fire. Xion jumped up when the fire was inches from burning her shoes, and using wind to carry her forward she dived toward Axel.

Axel held up one of his chakrams to block the attack, the teeth of Xion's Keyblade getting stuck within the holes in his weapon. Tensing his arm up Axel ignited his free chakram and swung it around, hitting Xion in her side. "Get back!" He shouted, swinging the chakrams in front of him and blasting flame out at Xion. She was sent flying back, losing her grip on the Keyblade in the process.

Xion crashed into the wall of flame with a scream and fell down to her knees, panting. "You're… strong…" She said between gasps. Xion held her hand out, calling the Keyblade back to her. Nearly the instant it flashed into her hand she was running toward Axel again.

"Yeah, have you forgotten already? We fought here only a few days ago!" Axel laughed, parrying Xion's hits. Despite the short amount of time that had passed since their confrontation at the old mansion's gates, Xion's skill had dropped. Oh sure, the strength was still there - her body remembered how to fight, but her mind did not. Axel gave a wild grin, flashing his teeth and narrowing his eyes. "You won't forget this!"

Ribbons of flame swirled around Axel's body and the two chakrams caught on fire once again. Axel slammed his burning chakrams into Xion's chest, knocking her backwards. Before she could regain her balance, Axel was up in Xion's face again and struck at her side. She screamed as the burning metal knocked her one way, only for the other chakram slammed into her back and sent her down to the burning floor. Axel kneed Xion in the gut before she hit the ground and then spun around, slamming her into the fire wall.

"Got it memorized?!"

Xion groaned, struggling to get up. The Keyblade slipped from her weakened grasp and vanished, leaving her defenseless. "I…" She muttered, reaching taking a deep breath. "I can't keep going like this… Axel, please…"

"I'm sorry, Xion. You've run off one too many times, and this time I'm making it clear that we won't accept that." He hesitated for just a moment, and when he spoke again it was quieter. "This is for your own good. If you don't come back, then next time they'll want you dead."

"But I obviously left for a reason…" She struggled. "I told you before… I have to find answers, find an identity. I can't go back."

Axel let out a sorrowful sigh. "Okay, Xion. But know that I'm doing this for you. Got it memorized?" The chakrams spun around him once more, trailing fire behind them, and Axel prepared to finish the fight. Xion stood up straight, one arm gripping her side, and braced herself.

_Her face hardened as the Heartless approached, and Xion pulled out her Keyblade… and then another one soon after. In a flash of light, the two Kingdom Keys changed: one a bright white and one a deep black. Oathkeeper. Oblivion. Xion actually held back a surprised gasp, this was certainly not expected._

_Sheer numbers would eventually overwhelm her. Xion jumped back, towards the skyscraper, as the claws of one of the Heartless got dangerously close to her chest. Now with distance between her and the swarm, Xion tossed Oblivion forward and it whirled through the crowd. She spun on her heel, hitting three more Neoshadows behind her with Oathkeeper before catching the returning Oblivion._

The flash of memory left Xion as quickly as it came. When Axel charged forward, a bright white light flashed on her right arm for an instant and she held up Oathkeeper to block the attack. In her other hand was a black flash, and Xion used Axel's surprise to slam Oblivion hard into his side.

Axel staggered backwards, eyes wide. "Two?!" Behind her, Xion thought she could hear sounds of surprise from Sora, Donald, and Goofy, though it was hard to tell over the roar of the fire wall.

"How…?" She whispered softly, looking at the two Keyblades. For the briefest of moments an image of dozens of Heartless in a stormy city flashed through her mind, but just like the last memory it was quickly gone. Oh well. With renewed energy – and she honestly couldn't tell where it came from - Xion charged forward and began relentlessly attacking the surprised Axel. Oathkeeper slashed across his chest, Oblivion struck him in the shoulder, Oathkeeper slammed into his leg, Oblivion stabbed him in the arm. Xion crossed the two Keyblades together and cross-slashed to finish off her combo, sending Axel flying into his own fire wall.

Axel regained himself at that point, standing horizontally on the flames. Using wind to keep the fire from burning her shoes off, she ran diagonally along the wall until she was face to face with Axel. He parried her blows this time, jumping back and charging his chakrams with flame.

"Not this time!" Xion shouted, jumping off the flame wall after him. She swung Oathkeeper and knocked one of the chakrams out of Axel's hand, then began to attack with a brief combo once more. Once that was done she crossed the Keyblades and pressed down on Axel's chest, slamming him into the ground. At the moment of impact she channeled light and wind magic through her two weapons, dispelling the fire arena he had set up.

Axel groaned, sitting up. "Not… bad, Xion..." He sounded almost gleeful "Not bad at all. But… how long can you handle two Keyblades? That's got to put a strain on your heart."

With that sudden rush of energy gone, Xion had to admit Axel was right. She was breathing even harder now, and an ache had begun to form in her chest. She couldn't keep fighting with these two Keyblades, even if they gave her an advantage. It was best to switch back to her normal one. But when Oathkeeper and Oblivion vanished, Axel took the opportunity and charged toward Xion one last time.

_CLANG!_

Someone jumped in to intercept Axel's attack, a purple and red sword blocking his chakrams. "Organization XIII?" Xion wondered out loud, eyeing the newcomer's black coat with suspicion.

"You're the guy from Hollow Bastion… who are you, anyway?" Axel snarled. His gaze moved down to the sword, and his eyes widened as he noticed just how it looked. "Oh, it's you: the impostor who's been messing with us all this time. Long time no see, Riku!"

"Riku?!" Sora gasped, him and his friends having moved closer once the flames died. The newcomer flinched in surprise and looked back over his shoulder. Axel growled and struck him with one of his chakrams.

"Never turn your back on your opponent, pal!"

"Quick, all of you run!" Riku shouted as he turned back to Axel.

"But, Riku…" Sora began.

"Let's just go, Sora!" Goofy put a hand on his shoulder. "You saw how this guy fought Xion. Riku can fight him, but at this point we sure can't."

"I…"

"Wak!" Donald shouted, pointing out toward the forest. "Xion's already gone!"

**x-x-x**

Xion stopped to catch her breath, leaning against one of the trees in the dark forest. Exhausted after that fight with Axel, she had wisely taken the hooded man's advice and ran off when he took over for her. "I hope Sora and his friends did too…" She thought out loud. "What was that guy's name? Riku…?

"Gosh, you know Riku?" A new voice asked. Xion jumped in surprise and looked around, but couldn't find the source. "Hey, I'm down here!" The voice said with a lighthearted laugh.

Xion blinked and looked down at a _talking mouse_ a little less than half her height. That was... okay, after meeting Donald and Goofy she could accept that. He smiled and tilted his head, evidently waiting for an answer.

"I… don't think I do." She said. "He jumped in to save me from Organization XIII when I had to dismiss my Keyblade."

"A Keyblade?!" The mouse jumped backwards. "Gosh, if you have a Keyblade, then it's no wonder Riku saved ya! So, I'm Mickey! What's your name?"

"I'm Xion. Are you a friend of that Riku guy?"

"Sure am! We've been working together investigating Organization XIII for the last year. Hm…" Mickey crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Riku hasn't mentioned ya to me, Xion, but that's probably for the best. We don't talk much anymore in case someone from the Organization is listening in."

They were investigating Organization XIII? Finally, someone who might know what was going on! "What are you doing here in Twilight Town? Were you going to meet Riku?"

"Actually, I just got done talking to my old Keyblade Master and now I was headed to an old mansion where a guy named DiZ lives. I had hoped to get some answers from him."

"That might be a bit of a problem." Xion said motioning behind her. "Riku is in a fight with Axel of the Organization right outside the mansion."

"Really?! Gosh, maybe I should go and help him… but…"

Now Xion was confused. "'But'?"

"Xion, you said you had a Keyblade, right?" When she nodded, Mickey continued. "Riku's my pal, but he doesn't need my help; he can more than handle himself. But why were you fighting Organization XIII in the first place?"

Oh boy, this was going to be a fun conversation. "Axel has been hunting me down since I woke up one night without memory. I figured out just recently that I used to be a part of the group and left, but I don't remember _why_ I did that… or much of anything, really. It's all scrambled except for a few parts."

"You ran from them? Gosh, no wonder they're hunting you!" Mickey looked through his pockets for something. Xion's eyes widened when he pulled out a star shard. "We should get you a hiding place. Want to come with me?"

"…Wait. You trust me that easily?"

"Gosh, of course! You ran away from them, so you must be good inside, right?" Mickey smiled. "I've seen it: the light within the darkness. I know there's always some good in people, even if it's way deep down." He polished the star shard, and it sparkled in the beams of sunlight filtering through the forest canopy. "Anyway, my Master's world is small and secluded. No one would find ya there, and we could figure out what to do next."

"I…" Xion had to admit, she really didn't see a downside to this. Of course it was possible Mickey was just pulling her along and this was all some big ruse, but something about the mouse was just… trusting. He gave off a feeling that made him impossible not to like. She even found herself smiling. "It sounds good, thank you. I'll go with you to your Master's world."

Mickey held out his hand with a smile. "It's good to have you aboard, Xion!"


	18. Master of the Tower

_**AirBorne3: **__He has not. Mickey gave them the gummi ship directly, so Sora never went to the Mysterious Tower._

_**Gorsecloud:**__ I'm not sure if I've ever said thank you for all the kind words you always have to say, but thank you. I'm rather embarrassed to say that I hadn't actually considered what Yen Sid would think of Xion, so I'm especially glad you brought that up since it helped me flesh this out a bit more._

* * *

**Chapter 18: Master of the Tower**

"Watch that first step; it's a long way down!"

Xion wasn't entirely sure what was going on, still blinded by the star shard's light, but she felt herself falling backwards before a small but surprisingly strong hand grabbed hers. When her vision finally began to come back to her, Xion found herself dangerously close to falling off a cliff into _nothing_. There was a swirl of orange clouds far, _far_ below, but a whole lot of empty air between them and the cliff. And who knew how much further the ground was beneath those clouds?

Slowly shaking her head, Xion turned to look down at Mickey with wide eyes. "Where are we?"

Mickey chuckled and gave Xion a warm smile. "Just where I told ya we were goin'! This is my Master's world: the Mysterious Tower!"

"Okay… um, what's down there beneath us? Under the clouds, I mean?" It would be reassuring to know that, if somehow she fell off, she wouldn't be falling forever.

Mickey blinked. "Gosh… I've never actually thought about it. But that's not important right now; we should go speak to Master Yen Sid." He walked forward to the tower and held the door open for Xion.

As she stepped inside and gazed at the ceiling, Xion couldn't help but wonder if Mickey's Master had some agenda against people with a fear of heights. Xion herself wasn't even that bothered by being high up, but looking at this place was even making her a bit dizzy. "I can't even see the top." She said, more to herself than to Mickey.

"That's because there isn't one, not really." Mickey said. Xion just stared at him. "The tower uses special pocket dimensions as rooms. It's kind of like there are dozens of little room-sized worlds right here in this world." He took a step on the spiraling staircase, which ended suddenly at a door leading nowhere. Xion frowned.

"So does that door go to one of them?"

"Well, it can. Usually ya have to go through a few to reach the top of the stairs, but Master Yen Sid taught me a trick back when we were apprentices, me and…" Mickey trailed off and for an instant his smile faltered. "…well, anyway, just one quick spell and this door will take us right up top." He placed his hand on the doorway, which reacted to his touch with a faint glow. Before Xion's eyes the star symbol on the door changed, shifting with fluid motions until it became an arrow pointing upwards. Mickey gave the door a gentle nudge to open it, and through the doorway was a circular room with a table in the middle. She looked around to the other side of the door, but there was still nothing there.

"That's incredible…" She said.

Mickey laughed. "Gosh, you think so? It took me a long time before I got the hang of changing the doors like this. Once I got trapped in the cellar while trying to find the kitchen." He motioned for Xion to enter. "Anyway, this is Master Yen Sid's study. Go on, I'm right behind ya."

Xion had expected going through the door to feel strange, something like going through a corridor of darkness or travelling with the star shard. But it was just like any other doorway, really, one step and she was through without any weird sensations. Mickey walked up in front of her and bowed down low.

"Master Yen Sid, I'm back."

Xion looked to the back wall of the room, where a tall man in blue robes was staring out a window. _Was he there a moment ago? _She hadn't seen him. The man turned around, revealing piercing eyes and a long gray beard. He studied Xion for an excruciatingly long moment, but then turned to Mickey and gave him a welcoming smile.

Yen Sid moved to sit in the chair at the table in the center of the room as he spoke. "Mickey, it is good to see you again so soon. Are you done speaking with that man DiZ already?"

"No, I never made it. I ran into Xion here in the woods. She has a Keyblade and is being tracked by Organization XIII."

Yen Sid's eyes widened slightly. "Is that so? Well, Miss Xion, I believe you have an interesting story to tell."

"I suppose so…" It was hard to believe Mickey had trained under this man. He seemed hardly as warm and just all around friendly as Mickey was. She didn't feel as good sharing her story with him. But, just because someone is cold doesn't mean they aren't trustworthy. Xion suppressed the awkwardness. "Yes, if you have time to listen."

Yen Sid smiled and waved his hand, causing two more chairs to appear at the table. "I think you'll find I have much free time. Please, share your story."

Xion and Mickey complied, sitting in the new seats. Xion sighed, but Mickey gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry, you're with friends here." He said.

"Right… Okay," Xion began. "My name is Xion. Not long ago, I woke up on a world called Destiny Islands without any memory…"

**x-x-x**

"You know, I think I regret not facing you in Castle Oblivion." Axel said with a smirk as he deflected Riku's attacks. "I dunno about you, but I'm having some fun!"

"Save it for someone who cares." Riku replied. It was the first thing he had said since telling the others to leave. Without saying another word, Riku leaped forward with a spinning strike. Soul Eater cut through the air in a spiraling arc, coming down at an angle Axel hadn't anticipated and cutting him across the shoulder. When Axel swung his chakrams at Riku, who was now within melee distance, the younger boy jumped backwards and held his hand out, forming a barrier that blocked the blow. The rebound from hitting what might as well have been a brick wall knocked the chakrams from Axel's hands. As he looked over to where they landed, Riku's fist connected with Axel's face.

Axel staggered back, holding his cheek. "Nice trick with the barrier. Where'd you learn that?" When Riku didn't reply, Axel sighed and picked up his weapons. He spun them around, igniting the metal, and tossed them out. Riku dodged the first, though the second snagged his hood with one of its spikes and pulled it back, revealing Riku's blindfolded face. "…What's with that?"

Riku's response was to flip Soul Eater around, putting it in a reverse grip, and stab the blade into Axel's side.

"Rgh!" Axel dropped his chakrams, holding his hands over the wound as it began to bleed. "Damn it, kid, that was a low blow." Axel lifted his blood-coated hands from the opening and formed a small fireball in his palm. Then, to Riku's surprise, he moved the fireball to the wound and held it there as it began to burn his skin. Except for some wincing and grunting, Axel was completely still.

"What…" Riku was dumbfounded. What was he _doing?_

"What?" Axel looked up with confusion. The bleeding had stopped, and burned skin was all that was left in his sword wound's place. "You've never heard of cauterizing? You burn tissue to heal a wound. Sure it leaves some nasty scars, but better than bleeding to death. Got it memorized?" He leaned down to pick up the chakrams, and Riku noted his movements were a little stiff, no doubt because the burn was still sore. He could use that. "Now then, where were we?"

Riku charged forward, Soul Eater at the ready, and began executing a combination of quick strikes against Axel. The upside to a one-handed weapon, unlike Sora's two-handed style, was that even if it lacked power behind each swing, you could swing faster. And Axel's stiff movements made this even easier.

Riku stopped for just an instant, just enough time to catch his breath. But that was all the time Axel needed, and he sent a wave of flame out which sent Riku flying back.

_You can't beat him like this._

Riku growled as the familiar, ever-present voice spoke in his heart. Why now, of all times? _Maybe, but_ _I don't need _your_ help._

_Hmph. So sure of yourself… Foolish boy._

_Shut up!_

Ignoring the voice for now, Riku brought up his sword to guard against Axel as one of the chakrams came down on his head.

Axel laughed. "Aw, you getting distracted, Riku? And here I was putting my all into this. Am I not worthy of you?"

_Are you just going to let him taunt you like that?_

_Shut UP, damn it!_

"None of you Nobodies are." Riku replied, his voice low. "Fighting you is just like fighting a Dusk."

"A Dusk? Well, maybe I am just a fancy Dusk, but…" Axel said as a fireball formed in his hands. "…working with Dusks as long as I have, I've come to learn that sometimes they surprise you!" Axel shot the fireball at Riku, who threw up both his hands to form a barrier and protect himself.

"Why does everyone go around using those things?" Axel grumbled. "It's really ticking me off." When the smoke from the impact cleared, Axel found himself staring at Riku. "Huh? Hey, your eyes…"

"So you like fire, do you?" Riku asked as flames began to wrap around his arm. His voice sounded off, almost like there was someone speaking at the same time as him. Riku clenched his fist, and the fire turned from orange to blue. Axel's eyes widened when Riku thrust his hand forward and launched the fire at him.

Beneath his blindfold, Riku's eyes were glowing a bright gold.

**x-x-x**

"…and that's when Mickey found me."

Yen Sid closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard. He stayed there for what felt like hours as Xion shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Even Mickey was beginning to look concerned.

"Xion," Yen Sid spoke at last, "could you leave Mickey and me alone for a moment? I need to speak to him in private."

"Huh?" Xion asked. "Um, I mean, sure. Of course."

"Thank you. You may wait in the room through those large doors. I will call you when we are finished." When Xion had gone into the next room, Yen Sid sighed and placed both hands on the table. "Mickey, I do not know if this is wise."

"… I know." Mickey said, looking down. "I was concerned about it too. But if Xion left the Organization, then we can trust her, can't we?"

Yen Sign sighed. "If Xion could remember the specifics of her leaving them, then perhaps. But as things are now, we know too little about the situation to say anything either way. For all we know, this could be some elaborate trap set by Organization XIII."

"Gosh, I really don't think Xion is tricking us."

"Perhaps not, but as I said, we do not know what actually happened to make Xion leave. Perhaps she agreed to some plot that involved wiping her memory." Yen Sid leaned back and began stroking his beard again. "Or, as you say, Xion could be completely innocent and we have another ally against the Nobodies."

"Master-"

Yen Sid held up a hand to silence Mickey. "I recommend caution in dealing with Xion, no matter what the truth behind her may be. However…" He gave a small smile. "You are no longer my pupil, Mickey, and can make your own decisions. I am sure I can trust you to handle the results of accepting Xion, whatever they may be, in your hands. You are more than capable."

"I… Yes. Thank you, Master Yen Sid."

Yen Sid nodded. "Now then, on to other matters. Xion says Riku intervened in her fight against one of Organization XIII's members."

"Yes. I didn't see him, but I'm sure she was telling the truth about that." Mickey sighed. "Maybe I shoulda helped him…"

"Riku can more than take care of himself, Mickey. Bringing Xion to me was the wiser decision." Pausing for a moment, Yen Sid looked outside the window. "But, I cannot help but wonder why he would be protecting her in the first place."

"Sorry, I can't help ya there. I haven't seen much of Riku since Castle Oblivion, so I don't know if he has any history with Xion." Mickey rubbed the back of his head. "But I do know he's been working with DiZ."

"DiZ… he concerns me. What little we know of that man shows him to be irrational and ruled by vengeance." Yen Sid turned to Mickey. "Are you absolutely certain you know his identity?"

"Gosh, I wouldn't say certain… just, more of a feeling. That's why I wanted to talk to him, to see if I was right." Mickey crossed his arms and shook his head. "But, if I am right… why would he change so much?"

"Time shows no mercy to anyone, Mickey."

**x-x-x**

Xion sighed as she leaned against the heavy doors. She had given up trying to eavesdrop; the doors were just too thick. The most she could make out was the two of them mentioning Organization XIII. Not like _that_ was much help.

With not much else to do, Xion took to exploring the room while she waited. Why were there so many mirrors here? Yen Sid didn't exactly strike her as a vain person. Maybe they were for some magic spell? Xion leaned into one of them tapping the glass and investigating the backside. It looked like any ordinary mirror.

_Wait, what was that?_ Xion did a double-take when she thought she saw something in the mirror. It looked like her - which of course it should be, being a mirror and all, but… Two Keyblades. Right. Just like in front of the mansion.

She still didn't understand that.

"Wait, what's that noise?" It sounded like something was bubbling, like boiling water. Xion did a quick glance around the room, but didn't find anything that looked even remotely like it could be making the sound. Although, it did seem to be coming from the cabinet on the wall opposite over her.

Xion opened the cabinet, and as soon as she did the noise stopped. It was completely empty except for an old rolled up piece of paper. Curious, Xion reached for it – then pulled back. It was wet! Well, okay, not wet really. Damp. Like someone had painted the inside and now the paint was leaking through to the outside.

Come to think of it, the paper was sitting in a puddle of… what was that, ink? But it didn't seem to be soaking the paper in the least. Xion pulled the mysterious paper out of the cabinet and unrolled it, taking in what was painted on the inside.

"Is this a map?"

A castle was in the center, with a road leading up to it on the south side. There was a mountain in the east, an island and some kind of mansion in the west… what was this map of? It was no world Xion recognized.

The bubbling sound started up again, and Xion dropped the map in surprise. It was coming from that! The paint was lifting up off the paper! Surely this had to be some magic of Yen Sid's. "I'd better put this right back how I found it…" Xion decided, rolling the paper back up.

"Xion, you can come back in now!" Mickey's voice broke the tension in the room as he opened the large doors. His eyes widened in surprise at the map Xion held. "That's…"

"I had nearly forgotten that old map existed." Yen Sid said, walking up next to Mickey.

"You still held on to it after all this time?" Mickey almost sounded sad.

"Of course." Yen Sid turned from Mickey to Xion. "Xion, be careful with that map. It is a creation of Mickey's from his apprentice days. It's rather… unstable."

"Unstable?" Xion regretted finding this thing even more now. "Unstable how?"

"It was supposed to be an experiment in making a new world." Mickey said softly. "Books and other written things have worlds of their own, so Master Yen Sid tasked us with making one as a test. That map was the result, but uh… I got a little wild with the paint and thinner."

_Us?_ Us who? "There's a whole world inside of this map?" Xion asked.

Yen Sid nodded. "Yes, but what is locked inside that world should be left ignored. I had hidden it away myself so even I would forget in time. Xion, please, return that map to where you found it."

"Believe me, I'd like to, but you should probably see this." Xion unrolled the map and held it up so Yen Sid and Mickey could see. Sure enough, the bubbling sound began again and the paint began to lift off the page

"Master, that's-" Mickey was interrupted when the map _roared_.

"It's awake!" Yen Sid shouted, forming a spell in his hands. "Mickey, Xion, go! We must not let the Blot claim another!"

"Blot?" Xion asked, and suddenly the paint lifted from the map entirely. It swirled around the room in an inky whirlwind, tossing everything this way and that and staining the walls black.

"Xion, put it away!" Mickey called out. Xion hurried to roll the paper up but something exploded out of it, something purple and black, with green eyes and by all appearances made out of paint. Its hands wrapped around Xion before she could call out her Keyblade. "Xion!" Mickey jumped in to save her only to get grabbed by the paint creature as well.

Lights and fireworks flashed across the room when Yen Sid cast his spell, splattering the creature's paint body all over the room. But the pieces of it still in tact retreated, pulling Xion and Mickey with it into the map.

"Xion! Mickey!" Yen Sid shouted, casting another spell at the creature. But he was too late. It had already gone back to the world it came from, and taken Mickey and Xion with it.


	19. Family Reunion

"Xion! Mickey!"

Yen Sid frantically picked up the old map as it fell to the ground, channeling every magic spell he could think of through it. But nothing happened; there was no bubbling sound, no paint rising from the paper. It was once again just an ordinary map.

He was too late, but he could fix this.

"Putting this away to be forgotten was a mistake." Yen Sid spoke softly, tightening his grip on the map. "I should have locked it up. I should have known the Shadow Blot would one day regain its strength." He returned to the main room and laid the map out atop his desk, leaning over it and investigating closely to make sure there was no damage. Confident that the map was still intact, Yen Sid sat down in his chair and began digging through his drawers. The last time this happened Yen Sid had found a spell that would reopen the door to that world, but he had decided against using it in case the Shadow Blot took the opportunity to escape. This time, with two Keyblade wielders taken, there wasn't much choice. He needed to find the book with the appropriate spell and get Mickey and Xion out of there.

Yen Sid's fingers ran over something smooth, like glass. Definitely not a book. He pulled the object out of the drawer; it was a picture frame, featuring a younger Mickey during his years as an apprentice to Yen Sid. And next to Mickey was somebody smiling just as brightly as the mouse, practically identical but for his years and the color of his clothing.

Yen Sid's hand rested on the glass of the picture frame as memories came back to him. How long had it been since that horrible day?

"I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us, Oswald..."

**Chapter 19: Family Reunion**

"Xion, where are ya? Can ya hear me?"

Mickey sighed as the only response to his question was an echo, just like all the other times he called out. He had woken up in this dark castle about ten minutes ago in a puddle of black paint, but Xion was nowhere to be found. Mickey glanced up as he heard a noise above. An old ruined ledge was crumbling, small bits of rock falling down to the floor. Further up was an exposed night sky, with clouds covering up all the stars.

Mickey knew exactly where he was, of course. It was the castle in the middle of his map, no doubt about it. The whole thing was like some dark reflection of Disney Castle, right down to the color of the torn, dusty carpet. At least that made navigation simple.

Right now Mickey was standing in what back home would have been the courtyard. But there were no hedges here, only remains of Mickey could only assume had once been statues. As he stepped over the ruined feet of what looked to have once been Donald, Mickey stopped. There was an odd sound coming from his right, in the direction of the Gummi hangar – or, the Gummi hangar back home, anyway. It was a mechanical sound, the whirring of gears and the scraping of sharp metal. Mickey jumped up over the courtyard's fence, into the hallway before the throne room, and ran down towards the mysterious sound. So focused on finding out what that noise was, Mickey didn't notice the rotting wood doors to the throne room creak open and a figure about his size peeking out.

"Xion, are ya in here?" Mickey asked as he entered the room the noises were coming from. She was, sure enough, but not in the way Mickey had expected. Xion was unconscious and strapped to an operating table while an old man in a white lab coat fiddled with some levers on a terminal nearby. The strange man was even humming a tune as he worked, interrupted every now and then with a short laugh. Mickey gasped in surprise and quickly covered his mouth, ducking behind a piece of machinery when the old man looked his way. A few tense moments passed before any other sound was made.

"So then, this girl has a powerful heart?" Came the old man's voice. It took Mickey a moment to realize the stranger wasn't asking him.

"Yes, that is correct. And feel free to take it for yourself, Doctor." A cold, calm voice spoke. Mickey hadn't noticed anyone in the room besides Xion and this Doctor, but perhaps he was standing in the shadows. "We have no need for it. My order simply desires the puppet's empty shell."

The Doctor laughed. "If that's how it is, then go ahead! A heart is all I need to get out of Wasteland."

Mickey narrowed his eyes. _A heart? But isn't Xion a Nobody? And I guess this fella is from the Organization… _Mickey held out his hand and summoned his Kingdom Key D, trying to keep it as silent and without flair as possible. The man from the Organization's voice wasn't familiar to him, which meant it wasn't one that belonged to any of Ansem's former apprentices. Mickey needed to learn his identity.

But more importantly, that Doctor was going to hurt Xion. Mickey wouldn't allow that.

The Doctor laughed and pulled down on one last lever, lowering a strange contraption from the walls of the room. Blades and drills of all kinds came out of it as a mechanical eye zoomed in on Xion, examining the unconscious girl. One of the blades moved close, stopping inches from her chest.

"Now or never!"

The Doctor reacted in surprise at Mickey jumping out with Keyblade swinging, stepping back and waving his hands in a defensive gesture. The man from the Organization, meanwhile, stood as still as a statue while Mickey destroyed the machinery.

"Os-Oswald!" The Doctor spit out at last. "How did you find me here?!"

Mickey stumbled at the name, looking up in surprise at the Doctor with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

"Wait, your ears are wrong… You're not Oswald! Who are you?"

"King Mickey. So you show your face at last." The man from the Organization lowered his hood, revealing long blue hair and disturbing golden eyes. "Why would you protect the puppet? Surely it has told you its story."

"Xion is my friend, Nobody or not!" Mickey stepped forward and pointed his Keyblade at the man. "But even if she wasn't, I can't just stand by and do nothing to help the helpless." Mickey crouched down and prepared to jump towards the two of them, but a dripping sound began to echo across the chamber. Sparing an instant to look up, Mickey cried out when a vaguely humanoid monster of purple and black paint crashed to the ground in front of him. "The Shadow Blot?!"

Mickey swung at his new foe, but its liquid body moved with the Keyblade and the Blot came out completely unharmed. When he fired a Blizzaga spell to freeze it, the man with the blue hair appeared between the two of them and intercepted the blast with his weapon: a gigantic claymore. He gave Mickey the faintest of smirks.

The battle continued like that for some time, the Blot avoiding physical damage and the man blocking all magic attacks. When Mickey instead began to focus his attacks on the man, the Blot swirled around him and pulled him back with its inky limbs. The man's claymore slammed into Mickey, knocking him back against some old machinery.

"Be glad it's too cloudy for the moon to be out." He stated simply.

Mickey muttered a Cure spell and stood up, closely watching the man and the Blot. The now familiar sound of a bubbling liquid echoed across the chamber, and Mickey turned to the Blot expecting it to begin attacking once more. However, the Blot instead turned to the door with an almost confused look on its monstrous face. The door flung open and a stream of something bright green shot through like water out of a hose, hitting the Blot dead center. The monster let out a bloodcurdling scream so loud that Mickey had to press his ears to his head. Drops of the liquid that rebounded off the Blot's body splattered across the room, including onto the cuffs holding the still unconscious Xion down. Mickey watched in awe as the cuffs _vanished_ when the liquid came in contact with them.

When the Blot had stopped screaming, the Doctor shouted in alarm and pointed a gloved hand forward. "Part of the Shadow Blot's body is gone!" Sure enough, its arm was gone. The Blot moved the paint making up its body around to replace the arm, but in doing so had to shrink itself as paint left the other parts of its body. "That must have been thinner… Saïx, the rabbit has found us!"

The Blot roared one last time and fled, flying off into the sky in a trail of black paint. Not long after, the man called Saïx opened a corridor of darkness. "Things won't be as luck for you next time, mouse." His voice had no menace or contempt; he was simply stating it matter-of-factly.

After Saïx and the Doctor fled and the corridor vanished, Mickey heard Xion groan. Forgetting the getaways for now, Mickey ran over to the table and helped her off. Xion rubbed her face and looked around. "Where… are we exactly?" Her voice was quiet; she was still tired.

"We're inside that map you found. The guy who captured you called it Wasteland." Mickey held Xion steady as she climbed off the table and wobbled a little.

"Sorry, my feet are still asleep."

"Hey, listen." Mickey looked Xion in the eyes and she met his gaze with confusion. "We need to hurry; the Organization is here in this world. They wanted your heart gone and then to take your body back."

"Heart? But I thought…" Xion brought a hand up to her chest.

"We can ask questions once we're out of this castle. Can ya walk?"

"I think so… yes, I'm fine."

"Good, okay. Now…" Something fell behind Mickey, the sound of metal hitting stone ringing from the door that green liquid had come through. "Who's there?" Mickey called out, but the only response was a shadow moving along the wall and the sound of someone running. "Hey! Wait up!" Mickey ran after whoever it was that had retreated. Xion followed closely behind.

"What? Did you see someone?" She asked. She stumbled over some rubble as she tried to keep up with Mickey, the little king picking up speed to catch his target. "Mickey, wait up!"

Mickey stopped and looked back, an apologetic smile on his face. "Gosh, sorry about that Xion. Someone helped me against the fellas who captured you, and that must have been him running away from us." Mickey sighed. "And I think I know who it was, too."

"A friend of yours?" Xion asked.

"…Something like that, yeah. Anyway, let's get goin'. We need to find a way out of here."

What followed was about an hour of the two of them wandering the dark halls of the castle. Despite Mickey's earlier familiarity with the layout, he found his mind wandering too much to focus on where they were going. Eventually they found their way to a large set of double doors, which swung open with some effort on their part. Xion coughed and waved away the dust that flew into the air as the doors slammed against the walls.

"What… is this place?" She asked. A road leading out from the gates gave way to a street lined with worn-down buildings. But besides that street, the earth was _gone_. It was like something had eaten away at the world itself, leaving some floating chunks of land for the survivors to live on. Up above, dark black clouds swirled. Xion couldn't see the sky.

Mickey seemed just as confused and horrified as Xion. "I have no idea. I know we didn't design the map like this…" His eyes fell to a small area just before the street, where a circle of dead plants surrounded a metal statue. Silently, Mickey stepped forward to the statue and placed a hand on its rusted base. He gave a wide smile at the taller figure, but that smile fell when his eyes moved over to the shorter one holding the taller one's hand. "Oswald…"

"It's been a long time, Mickey." A new voice spoke up. Xion and Mickey turned from the statue to face the speaker. Though he had a similar body shape to Mickey's, his long ears made it clear he was a rabbit and not a mouse. And where Mickey's skin beneath his black fur was peach, this newcomer's was pure white.

He looked just like the statue.

The newcomer crossed his arms and glared daggers at the two of them. "You sure have a lot of nerve showing yourself here, brother."

Xion, struck silent by that comment, looked at Mickey and this stranger together. The resemblance was definitely there…

Mickey sighed and stepped forward. He didn't know what to say to that, so just started asking questions. "Oswald, what happened to this place? Who was that doctor, why was he with someone from Organization XIII, and why are you-"

Oswald held up a hand to silence Mickey. "Save it. I saved your friend from the Mad Doctor and his new companion, but that doesn't mean I forgive you." He looked up at the sky, at the black clouds. "I don't even want to see your face. Go home, Mickey."

"Oswald, ya gotta understand, we _wanted_ to free ya, but if we had opened the door to this world we would have let the Shadow Blot out too!"

"So instead you trapped me in a place where I don't know anyone, a place where all the damage is partly _my fault_?!" Oswald shouted. He opened his hands palm up, and for the first time Mickey noticed the way they bubbled. Drops of paint rose from his body, as if Oswald himself was made of the stuff.

Mickey's eyes widened with worry. "Oswald… what happened?"

"This is my scar: the touch of the Shadow Blot. It isn't so bad, I guess… I was able to help the people here." He sighed and turned around, shoulders drooping. "A lot has changed about me since we last saw each other, Mickey. But the problems plaguing Wasteland are my fault, and I'll handle them."

"We're both to blame for the Blot, Oswald! Let's work together!" Mickey was practically begging.

"I won't say it again: leave me alone and _go home_, Mickey!" Oswald was yelling now, spinning back around to face Mickey and Xion. The paint across his body began to drip and bubble more.

"I... can't." Mickey admitted. "Not until the Blot's defeated, or else he could get out. We're trapped here now, just like you."

"Then get out of my sight." Oswald turned and left then, walking down the street. "Walt always liked you best." He said softly.

Mickey sighed. He felt like crying. Shouldn't a family reunion be a happy thing? A comforting hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up to see a worried Xion.

"Oh. Sorry, Xion. I wish ya hadn't seen that."

Xion shook her head. "It answered a few things, but I have to admit it left me with even more questions." She looked over at the statue again. "I know it isn't any of my business, but… could you tell me the story?"

Mickey nodded, sitting on one of the old benches by the statue and motioning for Xion to do the same. "It started on a world called Disney; the world I'm from. Me, and Oswald..."


	20. It All Started With a Mouse

_**AirBorne3**__**:**__ He was! Oswald was Walt Disney's original star, but he was technically owned by Universal. Walt created Mickey after he quit working for Universal as a replacement for Oswald. In 2006, Disney traded one of their sports announcers in exchange for the rights to Oswald._

* * *

**Chapter 20: It All Started With a Mouse**

The familiar honk of a steamboat's horns sounded across the sleepy town of Timeless River. The three horns that rang out in succession were accompanied by a merry whistling tune if one was close enough to hear it.

Mickey Mouse was content with his life. Everyone in Timeless River was wary of the big cat, Pete, but Mickey found that his job on Pete's steamboat was enough for him. Every new turn around the river, every stop at a new dock, was like an adventure. It was probably the most adventure he'd get, really.

"Mickey!" Pete's grouchy voice came from the deck. Mickey turned to look down the stairs as his boss stomped up towards him. He didn't look happy.

"Ahoy, Captain!" Mickey saluted, turning away from the wheel.

"Mickey, how many times have I told ya?" Pete asked, placing a hand on the young mouse's shoulder. "The captain's job is drivin' the boat, and the cabin boy's job is swabbin' the decks!"

Mickey gave a sheepish smile. "Gosh, Captain Pete. I just wanted to give it a try, ya know?"

"This here's my boat, Mickey. Maybe someday you'll have one of your own, but not today." Pete grabbed the wheel and began whistling the same tune Mickey had before… albeit horribly off-key. "Anyway, get ready to drop anchor. We're done for the day."

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Mickey saluted and scampered down the stairs, preparing the steamboat for docking. He could feel the boat slow down as the pier came into sight. Timeless River was just a short walk from the old dock. One long whistle came from up above, signaling to whoever was manning the pier this evening that Pete had arrived. Mickey picked up the anchor with a grunt and yelped as he tossed it into the water.

"I gotta say, you did good work out there today, pipsqueak." Pete patted Mickey on the head as they came ashore. "Take a few days off, you deserve it."

"Gosh, really? Thanks, Captain Pete!" Mickey smiled out of politeness, but wasn't as excited as one would expect. Sure a vacation was nice, but it meant he wouldn't be getting any adventure for a couple of days.

"Sure, sure. Just don't bother me while you're not on the boat, see?" Pete muttered as he waved goodbye. Mickey returned the gesture and turned down the opposite path, heading back to town.

Mickey hadn't travelled long before the sound of bells and whistles coming from over the hills caught his attention. He turned to the right to see a small trolley running down freshly-placed tracks, and a familiar face waving at him from aboard it.

"Oswald?"

The trolley screeched to a stop and Mickey's older brother hopped out. A spark of excitement was in his eye that wasn't usually there. "Mickey! You gotta come quick - something is going on at Cornerstone Hill?"

"Is the Cornerstone in trouble?!" The Cornerstone of Light was a sacred relic to Timeless River, and indeed the entire world of Disney. Its light kept any darkness from entering their world, bathing the people in peace.

"No, I don't think so." Oswald shook his head and pushed Mickey onto the trolley. "But visitors have arrived… strangers! Outsiders!"

Mickey's eyes widened. Outsiders! Real, honest to goodness outsiders! "Don't have to tell me twice!" He exclaimed, and began working as fast as he could to get Oswald's trolley started back up again. "Let's hurry over!"

**x-x-x**

Mickey and Oswald reached Cornerstone Hill in good time and found themselves facing a rather large crowd. It seemed like everyone in the small town had come to visit the strangers, which just made Mickey even more excited. He and Oswald squeezed through the crowd of the taller figures, muttering out "Excuse me" and "Pardon me" over and over as they weaved past everybody. Mickey popped out of the crowd and shielded his eyes from the brightness of the Cornerstone of Light. After his vision had adjusted, he sure enough saw the three strangers – all young men about the same age - standing together at the stone.

The first one had black hair in a ponytail and a bandage on his cheek, which he absent-mindedly rubbed as he kneeled down to investigate the Cornerstone. His white jacket was tossed to the side, revealing a blue shirt with a silver "X" pattern across the chest underneath.

The second one had tan skin, silver hair, and golden eyes. He leaned against the Cornerstone, looking extremely bored as his companion continued to investigate the stone. In a flash of light that drew gasps from the crowd, a blade of some sort suddenly materialized in his hand and he began to wave it around aimlessly in the air to alleviate some of the boredom.

And then there was the third stranger. The grey goatee and thick eyebrows made his face look stern, but he was dressed in rather gaudy shades of bright blue with yellow stars and moons decorating his clothing. Not that being gaudy was really much of a problem in Mickey's opinion, though. Unlike his companions, this stranger's attention was on the crowd. He slowly scanned the faces watching the three of them, and for the briefest of instances his eyes locked with Mickey's.

"Are you certain this is it, Eraqus?" The one with silver hair asked his black-haired friend. "You sure are taking a while; maybe we got the wrong world." Mickey's ears perked up at that last bit. Had he heard right?

"I'm positive, Xehanort. This is the source of light that the Master said to find. …But you're right, this is taking a while." Eraqus sighed and stood up, pulling his shirt on. He turned to the crowd. "Excuse me, but could any of you please tell us where the leader of your town is? It's rather important."

The crowd murmured among themselves, leaving Eraqus's question unanswered. Xehanort raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

Someone finally spoke up. "Well, uh, the thing is…" Mickey recognized the voice of Horace Horsecollar. "We don't really have much of a leader. Not anymore, at least."

"Closest thing is probably Pete." Said a voice Mickey didn't recognize. "But that's just because he goes around talking big." The crowd agreed with that.

The third visitor, the one dressed in blue, smiled softly and placed a hand on Eraqus's shoulder. "It's growing late. Let us discuss this in the morning, my friend." He turned to the crowd and bowed. "My name is Yen Sid. If someone could please direct me and my friends to an inn, we would all be very grateful."

Yen Sid… Mickey found himself smiling at the man. He reminded him of Walt. When someone stepped up and began leading the three strangers to the inn and the crowd started to disperse, Mickey turned and headed home. Oswald wasn't far behind.

**x-x-x**

"Mickey! Mickey, _wake up!_"

Oswald's shouting stirred Mickey from his sleep, and the loud slam of his bedroom door shocked him enough to make him fall out of bed. Mickey groaned as he rubbed his eyes and looked over to the clock. _Why_ was Oswald at his house at two o'clock in the morning?

"Hurry up, we've got big trouble!" Oswald said, pulling Mickey up onto his feet.

"What's going on?" Mickey mumbled.

"Fire! There's a fire!"

"What?!" Without giving Oswald time to explain, Mickey ran out the door and into the streets of Timeless River. With the orange glow a few blocks away, it wasn't hard to figure out where he was headed. Mickey dodged around the crowds of people in their pajamas who had come outside to see what all the noise was about. Soon enough he found his way to the scene of the fire, and Oswald caught up moments later panting to catch his breath.

It was an old apartment building. The tenants and their furniture had been evacuated onto the roadside while the firefighters made their way in. "We gotta be able to help somehow…" Mickey said, looking around for something, anything, that he could do to lend a hand. That's when he saw the visitors from last night. One of them, Xehanort, was leaning against the wall of the building and holding his head in his hands like he had a headache. Eraqus looked angry. They were too far away for Mickey to hear their argument, but it ended with Eraqus dragging Xehanort along by the wrist as they left the scene. Yen Sid sighed and crossed his arms, but looked up at the building with a frown instead of following them.

"Mickey, I think I have an idea." Oswald said, turning Mickey's attention back to his brother. He pointed to a set of stairs leading up the side of the building: a fire escape. Mickey grinned.

"Okay, I'll climb up there and put out the fire from the roof." He decided. "Oh, we need water."

Oswald smiled and pointed to the water hydrant behind him. "We got water." Making sure nobody was looking Oswald grabbed a hose from the fire truck and attached it to the hydrant. He handed the hose to Mickey. "Let's do this."

Mickey, the hose in hand, ran up the fire escape as quickly as he could. As he approached the top Oswald turned on the hydrant down below and sent the water flowing. Mickey pointed it at the building as he ran, dousing the flames in the windows facing the stairway. He continued running up and splashing the apartments with water until a loud creaking noise caused him to stop. Mickey looked down, and before he could even say "uh oh" the steps gave out beneath him. The heat from the flames had weakened the metal. Mickey shouted out in surprise, hanging onto the hose for dear life as he swung dozens of feet in the air. The water continued flowing, hitting the asphalt below as the hose pointed downwards.

"Mickey! Hang on, I'm coming!" Oswald called up to him.

But gravity acted quicker than Oswald could as the hose snapped and Mickey fell. Moments before he hit the ground, the large puddle of water below him rose up and created a cushion. A dumbfounded (and soaking wet) Mickey looked over to see Yen Sid with his hands raised and a smile on his face. As the young man lowered his hands, the water lowered with them.

Meanwhile, the hose had gone wild without Mickey holding it steady, and it flew this way and that flinging water all over the area. Yen Sid held his hand out and in a flash of light summoned a strange sword, just as Xehanort had the night before. He waved the sword like a wand and the hose held still for a moment. Another wave and all the water that had been covering the area began lifting from the ground and swirling around him. Yen Sid turned to Oswald. "Shut off the hydrant! Now!"

Oswald, with eyes wide, nodded furiously and did just that. He walked over to Mickey and the two of them watched in silence as Yen Sid began moving his hands and that strange blade around, his movements accented by sparkling lights around the tip of the weapon.

Some of the water swirling around him suddenly split off from the rest and flew forward, a flying river crashing into the building and dousing the flames. Another one followed, putting out even more of the fire. Yen Sid placed his hands together, causing the remaining water to form into an orb in front of him, and then made a slicing motion with his sword. The water parted an instant later and formed into two twin waves, which rolled along the ground and collided into the building. There was a brief flash of white as the water evaporated on contact, but when the steam had cleared the apartment complex was no longer on fire.

Oswald, Mickey, and the rest of the onlookers broke into applause as Yen Sid smiled and bowed. "Thank you, but you're too kind. I was only doing what I can to help." He said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should see to my companions." Yen Sid left the way Eraqus and Xehanort had gone and Mickey moved to follow, but found himself pushed back by a sea of bodies as everyone began returning to their homes to sleep. When the crowd had finally dispersed, Yen Sid was nowhere to be found.

"That guy…" Oswald shook his head with a smile. "He almost reminds me of Walt."

"I've been thinking the same thing." Mickey admitted. "There's just something about him… I've gotta go after him."

"Huh?"

"I've gotta talk to him!" Mickey declared, running off in the direction Yen Sid had gone. "I'll see ya tomorrow, Oswald!"

Mickey had a general idea of where to find Yen Sid, since he had left in the direction of the inn. It was the only inn in the whole town, actually. Mickey's run slowed to a stroll as he tried to decide just what it was he wanted to talk to Yen Sid about. There were too many questions, like what are those strange blades, who are they, and most importantly: are they really from another world?

"…completely irresponsible!"

Mickey stopped at the voice. It sounded like Eraqus, and it was coming from an alley. Silently, he tiptoed towards the voice and peaked around the corner. Sure enough, there were Eraqus, Xehanort, and Yen Sid. Xehanort and Eraqus were currently glaring at each other, and Yen Sid… oh shoot, had he just seen him?! Mickey stepped back to hide and waited. When nothing happened, he looked around the corner once again.

"You're just too by the book, Eraqus." Xehanort said. His strange golden eyes looked angry, but his voice was level and calm.

Eraqus sighed. "Our Master said-"

"Our Master says a lot of things. He says to always wear armor in the Lanes Between, but I don't and I'm fine."

"You what?!" Eraqus stepped forward. "The darkness will-"

"That's an argument for another day, Eraqus." Yen Sid interrupted. "Right now, aren't we discussing Xehanort's leniency with his fire magic?"

Fire magic? Then did…

"I told you, it was an accident." Xehanort still hadn't raised his voice once.

"Well we can't go around having you burn homes to the ground, Xehanort." Eraqus crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as he continued to glare daggers at his companion. "We need the locals on our side if they're going to let us protect the Cornerstone of Light."

"Are we seriously doing that? We finally leave the Land of Departure just to come here? I didn't sign up for this so I could be stuck to one world."

"The Cornerstone is a physical manifestation of light. As Keyblade wielders, it is our duty to safeguard the light." Eraqus said each word like he was quoting someone. "Therefore, a Keyblade wielder should be the guard for the Cornerstone."

"Yes, I heard the Master before we left. But why _us?_" Xehanort asked. "I want to head out and explore!"

Yen Sid spoke now. "The Master has assigned us to this until a suitable Keyblade wielder has been found. Just have some patience, Xehanort. We'll be gone soon enough." With that the argument seemed ended, at least for now. Xehanort and Eraqus left for the inn, but Yen Sid lingered. "I know you're there, little mouse." He said with humor in his voice.

Mickey stepped around the corner with a sheepish look on his face. "Gosh, I didn't mean to eavesdrop…" He said.

"It's alright." Yen Sid waved a hand dismissively. "But this is the third time we've seen each other now, and I don't think it's a coincidence. Please, tell me your name."

Mickey stood up straight. "I-I'm Mickey, sir! And… that was quite an impressive display with the water."

Yen Sid chuckled. "You don't need to be so formal, Mickey. I'm just an apprentice. My name is Yen Sid."

"Okay, Yen Sid." Mickey hesitated and took in a deep breath. "This is gonna sound weird, but… ya remind me of my father. Well, not my real father, really, my brother and I were adopted, but… anyway. You're from another world, aren't you?"

Yen Sid stood for a while in silence, and Mickey was beginning to wonder if he had said something he shouldn't have. But then, the man spoke.

"Yes. Were we that obvious?" He smiled and patted Mickey on the head. "What gave it away?"

"Well, your friend with the silver hair kept talking about it just now, but also when we saw ya last night at Cornerstone Hill." Mickey shrugged. "But gosh, even if he hadn't it's clear ya aren't from anywhere around here. I mean, with the magic and those weapons and all…"

"My Keyblade?" Yen Sid asked. "Yes, I suppose I was a little hasty using it out in the open…"

"Um… may I see it?"

Yen Sid looked down at Mickey and met him in the eyes, but Mickey felt like he was seeing so much more. This strange man from another world seemed to be seeing inside him. Minutes passed, and at last Yen Sid nodded.

"We do need a Keybearer to watch over the Cornerstone…" He held out his hand and called forth the weapon – the Keyblade – that he had used to stop the fire. Yen Sid kneeled down so he was eye level with Mickey and held the Keyblade out.

"In your hand, take this Key."

Mickey hesitated, but Yen Sid nodded. With a smile Mickey wrapped his hands around the hilt, but Yen Sid did not let go of the blade. He kept his eyes locked with Mickey's as he spoke.

"So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend—no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

**x-x-x**

"A map?"

Years after that fateful meeting in Timeless Isle, when Mickey had nearly forgotten it, an older Yen Sid had returned one day out of the blue as a fully realized Keyblade Master and ready to claim Mickey as his apprentice. Oswald had insisted on coming along as well, even if he could not use the Keyblade, and now the two brothers stood at a table in Yen Sid's home looking over paint and a large blank paper.

"Indeed." Yen Sid said, brushing the beard that had grown to replace his goatee. "To protect the worlds, it is important to understand the worlds. And so I am tasking the two of you with creating and designing a world of your own. Maps and the written word are the simplest avenues to do this."

"Seems simple enough." Mickey said, dipping his brush into a vial of blue paint.

"Indeed." Yen Sid nodded. "But be forewarned, this paint has some… unique properties. It is necessary, as drawing just any old map won't create a new world."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful!" Oswald assured the old wizard. Yen Sid nodded and left the room, leaving the brothers to their work.

It was agreed upon by the two of them that the world would match their world of Disney, at least superficially, with their hometown of Timeless River and the currently under construction castle in the center. As they began working on the surrounding areas, Mickey accidentally knocked into the jar of paint thinner with his elbow.

"Hey, watch it!" Oswald said, grabbing a sponge to get rid of the thinner. "You just erased most of OsTown!"

"Sorry, Oswald. Won't happen again." Mickey said. He looked down at his section of the map, where his brush had been resting, to find a rather large puddle of paint. "Oh no!" Stretching his hand out for the sponge, Mickey knocked over the paint vial near him and the contents spilled out onto the map.

"Mickey, look what you did!" Oswald shouted. "There's no way the thinner is gonna fix all this-" He through out his hands in anger… and knocked over the thinner bottle himself. "Oops."

The paint and thinner mixed together as the two brothers tried to clean up their mess, and suddenly a loud roar sounded throughout the room.

"What… was that…?" Mickey asked softly.

The paint-thinner mix suddenly shot up off of the map and seemed to gain a life of its own, forming itself into a humanoid creature that glared down at the brothers. The two backed up and Mickey called forth his Keyblade in an attempt to fight back, but he was too inexperienced at combat and kept tripping over his own feet as he swung. Suddenly, light and fireworks exploded across the room as Yen Sid arrived.

"Keep that monster at bay, Mickey! I will seal it inside the map!" Yen Sid called out as he began to channel another spell. Mickey complied as best he could, wildly swinging at the paint creature but not really doing much good. Finally, Yen Sid spoke once more. "Get clear, I am ready!"

The creature roared as rings of light surrounded it and pulled it backwards toward the map. It reached its hand out toward Mickey, who held up his Keyblade defensively, but the monster's arm suddenly shifted and grabbed something behind him.

"OSWALD!" Mickey and Yen Sid cried out together. The monster's hands had wrapped around him and he was being dragged in.

"Master, stop the spell!" Mickey shouted.

"I cannot stop it once it has begun!"

Mickey reached out for his brother's hand as a bright light began to envelop Oswald and the creature. He was mere inches away and dived forward… only to crash into the table. All that was left of Oswald was his echoing scream.

**x-x-x**

"So… that's what happened." Xion spoke quietly. She looked up at the sky while Mickey sat in silence beside her.

"Yup. I hadn't seen Oswald since then until today. I guess he thought we abandoned him"

"Well, what are we gonna do?"

Mickey jumped off the bench and looked off in the distance, where the inky dark clouds were gathering above the mountain to the east. "I'm destroying the Blot. I'm getting us and my brother out of this place."


End file.
